


Chronos - Astéri Desmévetai (Demon AU)

by fuwafuwagem, mizumikahago



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2019-12-25 20:03:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 33
Words: 73,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18268424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fuwafuwagem/pseuds/fuwafuwagem, https://archiveofourown.org/users/mizumikahago/pseuds/mizumikahago
Summary: A normal human girl, living a normal human life, suddenly finds herself in a very life threatening situation. Her only way out is to trust a mysterious white haired man, who gives off a very suspicious vibe. Thus entering an unknown dark world, full of magic, drama and romance.





	1. Arc 1 Part 1

_Time._

_The linear flow of time is a human concept. It does not exist, for the likes of us, demons._

 

**Arc 1**

**Part 1**

 

The water was swirling tranquilly in front of her, the cold moss under her feet felt relaxing. Another step forwards to break the surface tension of the water and to dive into the crystal-clear liquid. Washing her fatigue away and letting it flow along the waves.

 

What a refreshing feeling to bath in a natural spring in the middle of the forest. Only she knew about this place and therefore was uninterrupted by any other people. As she was walking deeper into the small pond the water around her covered her undressed body. Some rays of sunshine fell through the crowns of the trees, reflecting on the surface.

 

It was noon on a warm late summer day, the surrounding heating up to the perfect temperature. A small sigh of relief left her mouth as she slid down and found a place to sit. After a long workday, this was the perfect way to relax.

 

What she didn’t suspect, was a white-haired stranger, hiding on a branch of a tree. The mystical aura around him making him invisible to the human eye. All in all, he appeared to be of the supernatural kind rather than a human person. Slowly lurking past the tree and focusing on her with his vibrant green eyes.

 

Silently as the woods itself he remained still in this position. Almost stalking her already.

 

Time passed by and the sun began to set slowly, it was the beginning of the night. Yet she didn’t shift place. It must have been at least one or two hours and she was still sitting there, not moving much. But so was he.

 

By now he was wondering what was even so magnificent about her, which drew his attention there for such a long time. After all that woman down there was just an ordinary human. Suddenly his pointy ears twitched as he noticed a sound between all the plants.

 

Footsteps approaching closer and closer. A four-legged animal, the silent beast of the night. Gray fur reflecting the last patches of sunlight. Growls and exposed fangs sparkling between the darkness of the leaves. A whole pack of wolves was drawing in closer towards the spring. From every direction, surrounding it and leaving no space to escape any longer.

 

But why should he care about that? One human wasn’t of his concern. And the animals would have a feast for dinner. Maybe he should even watch this spectacle, considering it wholeheartedly. At least with what was left of his heart.

 

Time was running out, the canines now surrounded the spring. Proudly standing on all fours and watching their prey, which didn’t suspect anything yet. With closed eyes she was still having her well-deserved break, not knowing it could have been her last forever.

 

Why does a human even come to the woods so carelessly in the first place? How stupid must one be? Looks like she never was in real danger before. But there is a first time for everything, isn’t there.

 

It was too late now anyway. A big one leaped off the rock and dashed towards her. A loud scream echoed through the forest for one second before she was left speechless. While in the water the fangs of the wild beast locked onto her throat, cutting her vocal cords within the blink of an eye.

 

The heavy weight of the animal was pressing her underwater, not in favor of the bleeding wound. Another one joined. Their huge paws scraping open her skin, making the situation worse by second. Gasping for air or struggling against the pain was useless.

 

Raising an eyebrow, the stranger on the tree indeed just enjoyed the show presented to him. But something felt odd. His heart started beating painfully, almost as if the life being sucked out of her, was being sucked out of him too. That couldn’t be, he wasn’t among the living in the first place.

 

As she was trying to take a last breath, before giving in completely. Swallowing up water, drowning and losing consciousness it hit him like a flash.

 

Δεσμός (Desmós). That’s what it is called. He remembered reading about this, but so far he never believed in it. Suspecting the one he was bonded with wouldn’t exist or died already. It was rare for a creature like him to find their significant other. And even rarer to find it in a human. Especially in a human.

 

Not wasting any more time, he knew he had to do something. Otherwise, it would be over for him too, at least in this regard. In their entire lifetime there was only one chance for this to happen and he decided to not let it slip through his hands.

 

Lifting off the magical curtain surrounding him, making him visible, he stormed the scene immediately after his realization. Dashing forwards and jumping right into the water, getting the wild animals off her wasn’t a big deal. Scaring them off with his own claws and swift movements it was easy for him to do.

 

Now he had to concentrate on her. Her almost lifeless body was drifting on the surface of the water. Dying the water around her bloody red as more and more of her life fluid just streamed out of her body. Slowly grabbing her, to stabilize her carefully he slid his hands under her shoulders and hips, supporting her torso.

 

Just for a second, she opened her blueish eyes to catch a glimpse of the mysterious figure which had saved her, before she once more fell back into the unconsciousness. The man saw that she wasn’t dead yet, but time was so shallow. They were in the middle of a forest, isolated from any society. Besides, he didn’t know much about how human health care would function.

 

Cursing under his breath, there was only one option left, but for that, she had to agree. Starting to shake her violently, as he spit out more words of irritation about this whole situation, hoping for her to wake up once more.

 

“Hey, you! We have to leave, but I can’t without your permission. I invite you to follow me to my home.” No response at first. Was it truly hopeless and all over already? There wasn’t much he could do in this realm, under those circumstances. Her wounds needed treatment, but there was none.

 

Then just a moment later, as if she heard what he said, her lips moved. Whispering a fading: “Yes, I want to come with you.” her words sounded painful and it was hard for her to breath. Rough and the indication of her life running out.

 

But this was already enough for him. He had her permission to take her away from here and that was enough. Not minding that he left her clothes behind and probably some other things, he quickly ripped open a portal midair, allowing them to flee to another sphere of being. To a dark and gloomy world, where eternal night prevailed, and time was no issue anymore.


	2. Arc 1 Part 2

**Arc 1**

**Part 2**

 

There was no time to waste, as they found themselves in a dim room. Only greenish candles illuminating the otherwise burgundy colored room. At the end of the room was a small platform with a cot on top. A perfect place to lay her down, though it being rather uncomfortable to stay on, considering it was made of cold gray stone which didn’t have the smoothest surface. For now, good enough.

 

With the means of helping her out now, he grabbed some herbs swiftly and poured them all together in a small glass cylinder. It all looked more like a crazy chemistry lab than actual medicine. Reaching for a thick book which had been displayed openly on a shelf, he made his way back to her injured weak body.

 

Luckily it wasn’t too late yet. Somehow, he made her drink the strange colored liquid he created with those herbs. A few drops of it were dripping out of her mouth again, caused by the hurry in which he had to do all of this. Afterwards, he spilled out some undefinable words in a language she never heard before, nor could she hear it now.

 

“Δυνάμεις της φύσης, δανείστε τη δύναμή σας. Δώστε σε αυτό το ανθρώπινο πλάσμα νέα ζωή, πάρτε την ενέργεια μου και θεραπεύστε τις πληγές τους.” (Forces of nature, borrow your strength. Give this human creature a new life, take my energy and cure their wounds).

 

With that he cut his index finger with his claw and let out a single drop of blood, seeping on her lips. Closing the book afterwards with a dull sound, the rest was up to magic to work its way through. The flames flickering ominously, as a little shimmer of light glowed from where her heart was beating.

 

It would take some time to seal off all her wounds, which gave him the time to change his now wet clothes. Well knowing that he could leave her body alone for quite some time. He left the room to change into his typical attire, throwing a long dark coat over his shoulders. While he was at it, he had to give her clothes too before she would wake up.

 

There wasn’t much in the castle he could use for that, so he dug up some white silk from a drawer. This was the best he could do for now, transforming it easily into a simple white dress. White the color of the innocent. So pure and untainted, the color of the holy, of angels and also the color of her hair.

 

But now, she wasn’t as innocent anymore. Ever since he laid his hands on her, she wasn’t one hundred percent pure any longer.

 

It was about time, folding the dress over his arm he made his way back to dress her up. Walking up to the stone bed she was laying on, as he brushed over the rim of the hard edges, admiring her body for a bit. She wasn’t ugly at all, only having a small and fragile body. Like a little inexperienced kitten of some sort.

 

Her wounds were almost healed by now. They were severe before, but now almost gone. The ingredients really did their work, being amplified with strong magic after all. Slipping on the thin fabric on her lifeless body was an easy task to complete.

 

And just the moment after she regained her consciousness. Some strands of hair falling off her forehead, only now noticing the turquoise hue in those. It was kind of hard to make out in this poorly lit chamber. But even at the spring, there were more important things to worry about.

 

Surely she would jump, finding herself in this new place. To take precautions measurements, he tied her arms and legs with leather bands onto the lounger.

 

Eventually, her eyes sprung open, inspecting the surroundings by blinking repeatedly. Her heart rate skyrocketed, as expected, as she found herself in this unfamiliar location. Never had she seen such a surreal place. It was scary.

 

“Where am I?” immediately shouting, as their eyes met. He in his usual manner walked up and down the pedestal, eyeing her curiously. A human, in his very own den. Laid in front of him ever so delicately. This would be very much fun for him.

 

Suddenly a smirk adorned his face, exposing sharp fang tooth blinking dangerously in the otherwise dark room. “At my home. I invited you after all and you accepted.” Something about this man wasn’t quite right. Who was he even?

 

Noticing her restricted movement, she began to panic really quickly. Was she a prisoner? What did she agree to? This was feeling so off, so wrong. The anxious feeling in her body troubling her more and more, swirling inside of her and making her feel nauseous.

 

“Who are you?”

 

“The one who saved you.” She was being rude for only being such a pathetic human creature. To his displeasure, she didn’t show much respect to him. Even thou she was in no position to speak in this manner to him.

 

Slowly understanding where this was going, she felt uneasy. Trying to free herself, she struggled against the restriction he gave her earlier. In a way, it was adorable how humans tried to free themselves. Like birds with broken wings, trying to fly with a cement block tied to their feet.

 

His grin from earlier became more smug as he approached her again. Softly sliding his hand over her trembling body. In a way he didn’t want it to be true, this human should really be his Desmós? His so-called: Αστέρι (Astéri).

 

If he really wanted, he could end her life right off the bat. But what’s the purpose of that, since he just saved her from her certain death. Maybe there was more to it, than just fairy tales and myths, about this sacred Desmós. And it was upon him to figure that out.

 

Giving it a get-go, he unbuckled her shackles, thus freeing her. Quickly she was getting up, ready to run. But he wouldn’t allow her so. Keeping her body down with his hand, he gave the command for her to stay right where she was.

 

The next action he took was to let his hands glide under the fabric of her clothes, securing her on her shoulder blades and above her bottom, to lift her up with ease. Without her even saying anything anymore he made his way to a very special chamber, further up in these castles’ walls.

 

Even the hallways in this huge building felt cold and empty. Taking a few steps upwards a staircase, they arrived in one of the towers. A huge old looking wooden door in front of them. The entire time she hasn't spoken any word.

 

Slamming the door open suddenly it revealed a symbol engraved on the inside. Her gaze stuck to it like super glue, she couldn’t take her eyes off it. Those very eyes widened as she could make out old already chipping paint.

 

This symbol was a bloody dark rose, the blood still dripping off it. This could only mean one thing and this realization was about to change her life forever.

 

“Demon!”


	3. Arc 1 Part 3

**Arc 1**

**Part 3**

 

As he was lowering her onto a comfy armchair, fluffed with cushions he let out a sarcastic chuckle. “Took you long enough to figure out.” Letting a sigh slip through his lips, he brushed some hair off his forehead, leaning back for a moment. “What gave it off?”

 

Her gaze shifted once more to the door and he understood. The symbol of the demons. Moving nervously on the chair, she raised her tiny voice: “Are we in hell?” A lot of questions rose within her, from only getting one answer.

 

He knew she was quite knowledgeable about the myths and legends which surrounded demons. Some of his investigations proved to him that she wasn’t a completely blank page in that matter. But for humans, angels and demons are just that. Fairy tales, legends, stories. Nothing they would consider existed for real. But that in front of her was real, every little bit of it.

 

“In a way. This is my castle, but its build in the demon realm. Around here is nothing but forest for miles.” Giving off more information than needed, but it would sure frighten her enough to keep her from running.

 

Another sigh from him followed as he sat down on another armchair placed across the room sluggishly. He seemed exhausted in a way, but rather mentally. Was she already asking too much? Her anxiety smelled awful to him since it was visible vibrantly in the room for everyone who wasn’t completely blind.

 

In a way, he had to forward this conversation. There was still this very important thing he had to figure out before taking any other steps. He had to get to know if she was truly meant to bond with him. Thinking for a few moments, his gaze fell upon a harp-like looking instrument. The dark version of what angels would usually play.

 

Reaching out his hand to pull it closer to him, he proved himself of being able to play this very instrument. His fingertips sleekly twanging over the strings, luring out ever so beautiful notes out of the device. It almost sounded angelic, so very melodic. His hands were trained to play this machinery. That much was clear.

 

Slowly getting lost within the sweet sound of the melody, she closed her eyes to listen to the song he was playing – for her? Noticing how it eased her mood quickly. Soon all fear left the room and the two of them just enjoyed the song playing.

 

Suddenly his fingers stopped moving and with it, the melody stopped flowing. Not knowing what came over him, he spoke up once more. “My mother taught me.” Without even being asked, he answered a question which was whirling only in her mind.

 

“That’s really beautiful-...” Barley finishing that sentence, he got up off his chair, standing there towering almost dangerously over her. His stare was void of all emotion. Cold, empty eyes. That sudden change of mood scared her once more. Truly intimidating.

 

Not holding in any longer he took the chair he just sat on and threw it against the wall right behind her. With a loud crash, it shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. Something must have triggered him to react this way.

She, on the other hand, froze in place, as she stared back at him, her eyes wide, her skin white, her lips parted. Would he rage on her next? He didn’t seem to be of the patient kind. Then it hit her, swallowing some saliva which had collected in her mouth. Something must have happened to his mom.

 

“Enough chatter,” he commanded. Inching closer to her and taking another close look at her. Grabbing her chin between his fingers, lifting her head slightly and locking eyes with her. It took a few moments, but his edge was melting away as he took in the smooth curves of her face, softening himself in the process.

 

Fear ran through his own veins now, if it could be called fear. If this was the human he was bonded to, he had to make sure that she wouldn’t die like a wheat in the wind. Letting go of her and tapping his own lip thoughtfully. Humans die so very easily and couldn’t survive for long in this domain. He had to act quick. But how to make it the least awkward now.

 

He was getting on his own nerves with this overthinking and decided to make it quick. “Listen.” Taking a deep breath before he continued. “Us demons have something called Desmós. It’s a bond of sorts.” Once again, he was getting closer to her. This time he approached her from a lower ankle. Almost as if he was cowering in front of her.

 

Her white dress was illuminating the room on its own, as she was nervously shifting her legs, trying to figure what he wanted from her. His hands moving over her legs slowly, further and further upwards, taking in her figure.

 

“I want to see if you are my Astéri. My bonded Star. Give me this pleasure of finding it out.” his voice shifted to sound almost begging. Raising his chin only a little to catch a glimpse of her sparkling blueish orbs. His hands wandered up her sides, framing her shape, holding her in place.

 

A light nod from her. She agreed but questioned what this would entail. After her compliance he got off his knees and bend over, whispering something in her ear. His sharp fangs being visible in the darkness.

 

A dark red blush appeared on her cheeks, spreading over the rest of her face as her body tensed up. Did he really just say that to her. Without any further hesitation, he took upon the chance of kissing her neck with the peck of his lips ever so slightly. He meant what he said.

 

Swallowing thickly, she was frozen in place for a moment. But what was her alternative? If she would decline, would he kill her? It seems she didn’t have much choice. Parting her lips to form the words of consent for him. Finally, something he enjoyed hearing out of her mouth.

 

Cupping her frame with his hands he made her sit up straight, inching closer and parting her legs with his body. Once more he assumed the position of kneeling down ahead of her. His fingers sliding over her legs, removing the fabric covering her skin. It wouldn’t take long, and this white wasn’t so pure and innocent anymore.

 

“It’s my pleasure to deflower you.”

 

His hand slid up her inner thighs, getting closer to the sensitive space between her legs. Like his hands he was moving upwards with his whole body, getting on the same eye level as her. His own expression was filled with lust, while hers was still quite flattered.

 

The lusty grin from earlier stayed on his face, just before he pressed his lips onto hers. Slowing letting his tongue slip in her mouth and parting her jaw a little to get a bit further. At first, her eyes sprung open, there was something metallic in his mouth. His tongue was pierced it seems.

 

As a few seconds passed she replied the act of compassionate love to him, closing her eyes and getting into it more. Meanwhile, he started getting busier with her more southern lips as well. First only softly rubbing his thumb over the sensitive nerves. And then slowly but surely the rest of his fingers joined in a stroking movement.

 

His claws were gone for this act, not hurting the most fragile part of her body. It didn’t take long before he could feel a certain wetness between her legs from this simple stimulation already. Starting to get cocky about that, he tilted his head to one side, releasing the kiss as filaments of saliva still connected their mouths.

 

He just had to mention how filthy she was getting already from such delightful doings of his. But for her, it only made her feel embarrassed, quickly clenching her legs together and trapping his hands in between them.

 

Her small body shivering right in his field of vision, a reaction from the suddenly increased heartbeat of hers. Which also tinted her lips and cheeks a deeper red. Without any warning, he was still very capable of moving his fingers, he let two of them slid inside of her.

 

A high pitched gasped filled the room at this a bit uncomfortable surprise. After all, it was her first time ever, so she wasn’t used to any of these things. Compared to a creature who was born out of sin and probably did nothing else his entire life but those things.

 

Grabbing the cushions under her tightly, making the soft but fancy material wrinkle between her fingers, he started teasing her lovingly. Once more he went in for a passionate kiss. As their lips clashed a second time, he started sucking softly on her lower lip and even biting a little, just for more pleasure.

 

Yet she didn’t seem to dislike it at all. Even the stiffness in her legs melted away and he kept doing his work with his fingers inside of her. Exploring her cave a little, soon she had to break the kiss in order to let out some joyful moans.

 

Seems like he found the right spot for her, going on for a little longer, before he suddenly stopped, pulling out his fingers as quick as they went in before. The thick jelly-like liquid on his fingers spoke for itself. Shortly after he licked it off and his silver tongue piercing was now clearly visible to her.

 

It was so lewd how he licked off her juices, taking a sip of her taste. What he just did to her felt so good, but he didn’t get her to cum just yet. And both of them knew so. It was displeasing just getting teased and then left like this. Learning that as her first experience was a disappointment in itself. According to that, she gave him an expecting look, asking if there would be more.

 

How impatient she was, it was so very amusing for him. “Of course there is more. But it’s only half the fun without proper foreplay.” Realizing that he would give her more was exciting in a way but also suddenly scary. This would mean for her, he would stick his manhood inside of her.

 

After all, she wasn’t dumb, taking sex ed back in middle school. Protection? Would he kindly use it on her before doing anything else? “I’m not on the pill.” Shouting at him in such an awkward fashion, she immediately wanted to hide herself.

 

A laugh left his mouth, she turned out to be more and more amusing by the minute. “What’s so funny about that? I don’t want to get impregnated by a stranger, you know!” How bold of her to speak up like this. Wherever she took that courage from so suddenly. Immediately regretting it the moment after as she crossed her arms in front of her chest, looking away, her head still red from all the blood pumping through her body so violently.

 

He came close to her, making their faces almost touch, before he raised his voice: “Demons work a little different than humans. We have no need to reproduce like this, after all, we are immortal. And we don’t want it to get too crowded down here.”

 

Questioning how else it would work she raised an eyebrow staring at him again. He was already at it, undoing his pants as he gave her another wonky exposition: “Let’s say, it works with our own will. If I don’t want you to get pregnant, you won’t. Simple as that.” Secretly hiding it was on her as well. For demon children to be born it always needed two parties, unifying through one wish for it.

 

No further questions were asked this time, by now he had undressed his lower half in front of her. Exposing his very own sexual organs right before her poor virgin eyes. It was the first time she ever saw a penis, the real thing and not an image or a porn video online – and it scared her to some degree. Covering her field of vision with her hands at first, but then slowly taking a peek at it. In a way it was like a sad sea creature, just hanging there. But that should change very soon.

 

Approaching her again, leaning over and splitting her legs carefully, he let his hands rest on her shoulders. “I hope you are ready for the real act now.” Giving a nod in return she assured him. His hands wandered over her collarbone, slowly sliding off the straps of her dress. The moment he retrieved her she was naked, so there wasn’t any bra hiding anything from him now either.

 

Lowering the dress some more, he exposed her small but perky breasts. They were beautiful and he couldn’t wait to massage the soft flesh. Smoothly his thumbs were rubbing over her slowly hardening nipples. The room was a little cold, but this was rather the effect of the stimulation.

 

Going on for a bit, he moved his hips, thrusting them forwards as their very sensitive organs met each other. With steady movement he started rubbing his own junk against the slit of hers, creating some tension between the two of them.

 

His hands started groping, getting rougher over time, massaging her chest. This once more lured moans out of her body. Her heart beating faster, flicking her head back, resting on the backside of the chair she was on. She had to admit the feeling between her legs was uncomfortable at first and weird on top of it. Was this really how it was supposed to feel.

 

Surely not. Getting a little more greedy he leaned over, licking along her stretched neck. It was just too inviting to resist. And again, the cold metal against her soft skin felt extraordinary. The longer he persisted and the more he kept going he got more and more aroused and she felt that between her legs.

 

As something was hardening between them, pressing on her soft lips down there. A quiet shiver running through her body. “Oh!” a groan of pleasure from her. Instinctively trying to trap the thing between her legs again, but unsuccessful.

 

He was ready now to enter her for real. Calming her down a little before. “Shh, it’s fine. It will hurt a little. But you are so wet yourself. I will go easy on you.” Giving him another sign of approval, her legs spread widely, granting him entrance inside of her.

Removing one hand from her chest, he held his shaft in his hand to slowly let it glide it in. First, only the tip, parting her lips softly. Trying to concentrate to not make a mistake his eyes almost glued on the filth between them.

 

Her body started reacting already, her eyes falling shut, biting her lower lip as her face generally gave off a little pained expression. Minding that she was still innocent, after all. It must hurt her, even such a little thing already.

 

By now her body was moving and shivering so much, she slid down on the chair. In a way, she was only assuming a more comfortable position, but keeping her from falling off the chair, he redirected his hands on her torso again, holding her up. This was a little more complicated than he hoped for.

 

Reassuring her once more that things would be fine, he kissed her on her mouth repeatedly. Indeed, that helped her to continue, allowing him to glide in her with his full length. He himself let out a sigh of relief. So far, so good.

 

Her insides felt so tight, wrapped around him he had to gasp a few times. It was astounding how much this aroused him, how much she sparked this flame of lust inside of him. Now that they had come so far, he had to make sure to keep it going.

 

Panting lightly, closing his eyes for a few moments, before he moved forth and back with his bottoms as he did before. Only now sliding in and out of her a little. Her entire body reacted strongly to this satisfaction, trembling all over. Her own hands soon found their place on his back, digging in his flesh through his shirt, pressing him onto her.

 

This was feeling good, not half as painful as she might have expected it to be. His steady movement continued for a few minutes before he fastened his pace. The tip of his fingers once more over her bosoms, kneading the lumps of flesh under the palm of his hands.

 

To spice things up, he kissed her neck lightly at first, but surely he let his sharp teeth scrap over her paper-thin skin. Smirking a little as he planned ahead. There was something intimate demons loved to share: Their blood.

 

Without any further indication, he let his fangs sink into her neck, poking holes in her veins, making the blood drip out fast. Just as fast he had to act now, covering the wound with his lips, at first not wasting a drop of her precious life liquid.

 

This sudden decision of his made her shiver and flinch away in pain. She didn’t expect him to rip open her wounds once more. To her own misfortune, his teeth were still stuck in her neck and ripping bigger injuries in her skin, due to her own movement.

 

He was trying so hard to seal off the bleeding with his own spit and the soft touch of his lips, but there goes the plan, as flowing streams of blood dropped down on her collarbone and splattering over her clean dress too.

 

Slowing down his act, he came to a halt to look down, getting ideas on how to proceed this. Greed was flickering in his eyes, this sparked the idea of him to taint her during all of this. It would truly show if they were meant to be, if she didn’t reject his demonic blood, they could truly form a bond with this.

 

First things first, before she bled out once more, he approached her throat carefully. His wet tongue slipped over the bite marks, and just like magic all signs of it ever happen vanished within the blink of an eye.

 

For a moment he stood still, not moving at all and she opened her eyes to take a look at him too. If this continued, she probably had to get used to his spontaneous ideas of this kind. A creature like him probably preferred it kinky anyway.

 

“Take my blood too!” exclaiming so, all of sudden, it left her questioning again. But since he did to her, she had the urge deep down to try it herself. Gathering her courage, she pulled on his clothes, to indicate that she had to inch closer again.

 

Unlike him she didn’t have fangs which would be able to break through skin so easily, so he had to do some work himself. While leaning forwards he used his reformed sharp claws to slice open his very own neck. As he bent over his torso, huge drops of dark blood fell down already.

 

Oddly enough his blood was way darker than hers, even in such a poorly lit room, she could make out the blackish hue of it. The strange fluid mixed together with her slowing drying blood, leaving huge stains on her attire.

 

Another thing was different, his blood seemed to be alive as it was constantly spreading over the wardrobe of hers, like ink in water.

 

As soon as his neck was close enough, she tilted her head sidewards, getting a good grip of him. This felt so exciting, taking a sip of his life force. Quickly noticing this wasn’t any ordinary blood. It was so bitter, why did she enjoy such a taste. Barbaric, she thought to herself, but she couldn’t stop and wouldn’t stop any time soon.

 

He seeing so as well continued his flow to please her once more. Here and there he let a curse word slip out, a pretty potty mouth he had there. But that was in no way bad, in fact, she enjoyed what he was doing to her, a lot. Feeling the ecstasy rushing through her body, mixed with so many other pleasured feelings, lifting her higher and higher.

 

And with this arising feeling inside of her, her screams got louder and higher as well. Was this now heaven or hell. She couldn’t tell anymore. Moving her hands under the fabric of his clothes, leaving streams of scratch marks on his back all over.

 

His blood steadily flowing in her mouth it overflowed the brim of her lips soon. For now, she couldn’t take more and had to stop. A few last drops landed on her garments. Looking at him satisfied and highly lustful, the hearts within her pupils almost visible.

 

This blood he handed to her, made her feel energetic, but dirty in a way too. Being ready to keep this sin going and longing for more as well, like the beginning of an addiction.

 

By now her entire clothing fit the color of his cursed blood. A red dress, where once the white one was. A tainted canvas. Purity and innocence being overshadowed by the act of true sin. The mark of a demon now stealing away her virtue.

 

Joyfully the two of them continued their deed, longing for more and more. Gasping for air, her moans joined his. Shortly before he decided to take another taste of her. This act started to make her sweat – first, he licked off the hot steaming body fluids off her neck and cheek, then he kissed her once more on those soft red lips.

 

Passionately, loving, craving for more. It encouraged him to go rougher on her. Hopefully, she would still enjoy it, as his movements got a little more forceful. Reaching her g-spot now and breaking her hymen with it completely.

 

Breaking the kiss abruptly, her tongue snarled as she felt this happening on her insides. This was just a tint too much pain for her. Her body froze, paralyzed for a few moments. Even her hands got stuck on his lower back, clawing in one spot of his skin.

 

As she was breathing heavily, trying to calm down from this shock she slowly opened her eyes to face him anew. Both of them staring at each other a bit perplexed. The first time is always a little different than one would imagine.

 

Now it seemed was a perfect opportunity to strike for a rather silly question. The moment was gawky already. Their gaze met and he bluntly questioned her: “Do you want to become a demon?”

 

Such a question out of the blue, it made her chuckle. He can’t be serious, that would be just a joke. Taking it as such, she humorously replied: “Sure.” In a classical way of miscommunication, his eyes lit up and he was all fired up to keep going taking her to her capstone.

 

It took a moment before she was ready to finish off. She gave him the signal to keep going as well. Acknowledging her pleading for it he started moving again, hitting on her pleasure spot with his pink tip.

 

This final part felt almost too good to be true. Those moments before the climax were truly out of this world. Warning him that she was about to come he only quickened his pace and amplified her stimulation by quickly moving his head down to her chest. Deciding for himself, he wanted to suck on her hardened nipples. His skilled tongue drifting over her delicate skin.

 

The time came and so came she. The loud scream of ultimate pleasure mirroring in the room. The sigh of relief and shortly afterwards he was done too. Finishing off himself, as he emptied himself inside of her. Letting go of her breast as well, with a lewd pop of his lips.

 

A small cry came from her as she looked at him, all flustered. Did they really just do that? Her entire body felt weird but that was probably only the post-climax resonating in her.

 

He looked down at her as he backed off. Just to lean in for a short kiss before he was looking down on himself. Now he found a few more drops of blood from her broken hymen, the proof of bonding with her truly.

 

Now he was sure, she was the one. His Star. There would be no other women in this world, nor any other world, which could make him feel so good, so at home, so complete.

 

Her eyes wandered up and down his exhausted still sweating body, her being equally tired because of what just took place. The two of them couldn’t take their eyes off each other and he slowly caressed over her cheekbones with his thumb. Asking his question from earlier once more: “Do you want to become my Astéri?”


	4. Arc 1 Part 4

**Arc 1**

**Part 4**

 

This time she was taking him much more seriously. Her eyes caught a glimpse of his already healing wounds. The scratch marks on his back would be gone by now as well. Maybe it’s not so bad to become a demon. If he truly meant what he asked her earlier…

It made her swallow thickly, knowing if she agreed to this deal with the devil, he would surely turn her into one of his kind. But being completely honest with herself, she didn’t know what to say, at all.

 

While she was thinking about her decision on that, he gathered his clothes off the floor and dressed himself up once more. In a way, it sounded so alluring to become one of his kind. But what would that involve to be precise?

 

“And how would you make me a demon? I mean, we already had sex, isn’t that enough?” What a profane question she asked there, making him laugh once more. “Of course not. A demonic transformation ritual contains way more than simply that.”

 

That sounded intriguing. But in the end, would she even have another choice than to agree to what he wanted of her? A soft sigh left her lips, as her eyes wandered around the room. This was really a difficult decision to make. She felt so nervous and scared about all of this.

 

As their eyes met, he looked at her like he would expect something. Almost as if he would beg again, that she would stay with him. In the end, how could she resist this gleaming, mysterious green gaze of his? It was captivating, for sure.

 

Eventually, he came closer to face her again. Their eyes still locked within one another. His soft thumbs caressed over her cheekbones. He could be so soft too. “Because I think I love you.” He answered to an unspoken questioning, lingering in her mind.

 

The cheeks he was caressing tinted themselves in a rose hue. Feeling her heart beating stronger. Maybe she felt the same but wasn’t sure about it. Would it really hurt to give in to what the heart wants? Sometimes it’s just better to follow the gut feeling, instead of your brain.

 

Hesitating, but finally speaking up: “I’ll do it.” Well aware that this would change her life forever. Second guessing herself if this was really what she wanted. For a moment he looked pleased, a smile forming on his face, but then thoughtful too. “Are you sure, you want that?”

 

How could he doubt this decision? After all, he was the one luring her into it. Seems like he also knows how drastic of a change it is for her.

 

Gathering all her courage, she already made her decision but had to speak clearly: “Yes. Yes, I want that.” a defined voice echoed through the room, as they looked into each other’s eyes for quite a while. Both of them thought enough already and should instead listen to what their feelings wanted. This hereby was finite, she made her decision and he wouldn’t waste a second in proceeding.

 

“First, we have to change your attire. Follow me.” A sudden thirst for action swayed over him, while he was helping her to get up from the chair. Strangely enough, he was full of energy compared to her who was still quiet perplex and not fully be able to comprehend what just happened.

 

With small but quick steps she followed him out of the room to a chamber on a different floor. In this chamber was a lot of clutter just laying around and an old dusty wardrobe, which he aimed for. Opening the squeaky doors quickly, he took out a black robe with shining silver ornaments. A classical vestment, it seemed.

 

Paying attention to her once more, the deed of changing into the robe was done quickly. The fabric on her skin felt cold for a few moments but not uncomfortable. The dress would take these garments place in the forgotten wardrobe. It was dirty and made for one use only anyway.

As the two of them kept walking again the cords around her waist, holding together the fabric moved forth and back with each step. Soon she felt complacent in her new clothes, making her go into this more relaxed.

 

Her tiny footsteps toddling over the stone tiled dark floor, joined by his rather broad way of moving with his elegant looking shoes. Quite the contrast there is to say. It felt like a short eternity before they came to a halt, this must be the other side of this huge complex castle. One of the top floors as well. Only he knew it even was the highest spot in the entire building.

 

Something was clinking in his pockets, and he took out a small key. The door was locked, and a little magic was needed to open it. One key which fits all purposes, how convenient.

 

Beyond that door was a room bizarre, magical, so very extraordinary, she couldn’t compare it to anything she had ever seen. Medium in relative size but so big in her view, filled to the ceiling with all kinds of items truly out of this world.

 

All of that was surrounded by giant glass stained windows, behind which three moons were circling with an incredible pace. It merely took a few minutes for one to finish its lap, truly a frightening sight to behold.

 

Stepping further into the room, standing right in the middle she had to take a deep breath to take in all of those things around her. Behind him, the door closed as he approached the scene as well. The moons lit the room well enough, but it wasn’t enough to start a ritual.

 

The snapping sound of his fingers lit different colored stones, arranged in a circle around her, forming some kind of pattern on the floor beneath her feet. For a second, she flinched, until a certain calmness emitted from the ambiance.

 

His body language was telling her to sit down, and so she did. Taking a sit in the middle of all these astonishing conditions.

 

Before he would proceed, he had to make sure one last time. Closing in on her, he took her chin upon his hand, making her face him directly. “Are you sure, you want to keep going?” No answer from her, just a simple nod of confidence. It was clear for the two of them.

 

As he let go of her, he gathered some metal and a small red flower from a shelf, keeping it hidden in his fist. It was time to start the ritual. The moons outside slowing down more and more with each passing second, they almost seemed normal.

 

Taking a deep breath, he raised his voice to recite his verses:

“Με το όνομα του Σατανά. Αυτό το ανθρώπινο πλάσμα μεταξύ μας αναζητά τα σκοτεινά βάθη της δαιμονικής ύπαρξης. Δώστε σε αυτό το πλάσμα τη δυνατότητα να περιπλανηθείτε ανάμεσα σε εμάς. Πάρτε το αίμα μου και μολύνστε την καθαρότητα του, έτσι θα βγει ξανά.” (By the name of Satan. This human creature among us seeks the dark depths of the demonic existence. Give this creature the ability to wander among us. Take my blood and taint her purity, thus she shall emerge anew).

 

While he voiced his lines, the stones started glowing more vibrantly. Different colored flames were emerging and creating another circle around her. It was hot and cold and light and dark at the same time.

 

He started to whisper more of his magical spells, taking the hand he held in the silver and the flower in close to his mouth.

 

“Συνδυάστε αυτό το ασήμι στον αιώνιο δεσμό, την υπόσχεση που μας κρατάει μαζί για πάντα. Το δεσμευμένο αστέρι μου, δεν θα αφήσει ποτέ την πλευρά μου και θα την πάρω.” (Merge this silver into the eternal bond, the promise which keeps us together forever. My bonded star, will never leave my side and I will take upon her).

 

Finally reaching out his hand between the blazing heat, the metal in his hand started melting. The rose in his hand still had intact spikes, which poked little holes in the palm of his hands, by clenching his fingers together strongly.

 

The last additional ingredient he added was his very own blood, it would contain the magic needed to transform her. This red magical liquid was flowing out quickly and molding together the flower and the metal before it would cool off. Turning it into a ring-shaped figure, which would fit only her finger.

 

His skilled fingers and magical abilities formed a bloody rose on top of the ring, just like the one she saw on the door of the room they had their intercourse in. Once this deed was done, he pulled back his hands from the inferno.

 

Easing his palm, the small ring came out perfectly fine. It was beautifully adorable. The metal met his lips again, as he sealed it off one last time with a kiss. Mysterious purple mist emitted from the ring, which vanished with the touch of his lips inside the newly formed jewelry. Her accepting this ring would finish off the ritual.

 

By now the moons almost aligned perfectly. Their light circle enclosing on her, bathing her in a mysterious, red and golden glow. Looking forward, he parted the flames right in front of her gaze. Chanting his last line in the language which was unknown to her: “Λάβετε το νέο σας όνομα” (Receive your new name).

 

He held out the ring towards her, waiting eagerly for her to accept this gift. Her taking upon this magical item, forged by all of this, would turn her into a demon. Their eyes met, she reached out her hand towards him and obtained the present of the demons.

 

The ring stuck tightly on her finger and, like lightning, it struck her entire body with magic and energy. Perfect timing, all the celestial bodies were lined up perfectly, framing this scene. The grin on his face grew wide as he saw her change right in front of his own eyes.

 

 

The dark violet substance emerged from the trinket on her left hand, swallowing her up whole. His magic was seeping into her body, a demon would soon be born from his own abilities, gifting her powers the likes of his own.

 

Painful screams started to fill the room. This transformation surly was agonizing, going through it for the very first and last time. Her entire body was covered in dark smoke, almost stealing away the vision of her.

 

Bending over her body, falling onto her knees, the flames started burning cryptic symbols in the skin on her neck. The true name of her new self was now deeply embedded in her. Thus, starting further bodily changes in her as this mark was vividly glowing through the darkness around her.

 

The skin on her back ripped apart as bones started to sprout out of her shoulder blades, quickly to be covered with black feathers all over, some already withering away and turning into ash, being caught by the flames.

 

Her head she held between her hands, trying to grab onto something. Soon dangerous looking claws emerged from her fingertips, matching the appearance of his. The darkness spread over her arms like she just dipped them into an inkwell. Only this was permanently embedded in her body now. The same black color covered her legs from the knees down, causing the same effect on her feet, which were now more like monster paws.

 

It wasn’t long before she couldn’t hold onto her temples anymore, since curled black horns appeared between her white strands of hair, pushing it in all directions wildly, so very prominent, what demons are usually known for.

 

Her change was almost complete, the last part which had to show up was a leather whip-like tail with a sharp tip which built itself up from the bottom of her spine, extending her bones and muscles to make it movable.

 

After those very painful moments, everything died down slowly. Her breathing heavy as she cowered on the floor, lifeless in a way. The cloudy substance remaining for only a little longer, before it finally vanished and seeped inside her body.

 

It was finally over. It was painful and took ages. The crests started to spin faster again, going back to the same velocity they had before. The flames slowly turned into blazes and then back to the glowing stones they were before.

 

Looking at his piece of art, he stepped closer, picking up her body with his very own hands. Opening her eyes, her pupils revealed to be merely more than dangerous looking slits surrounded by a slightly greenish glowing hue. They now matched his color more than they did before, taking in the sight of his frame first and then trying to take a look at her new self.

 

The fabric of the robe on her back was torn apart by her newly formed body parts. It was all so new, and for her, it still hurt terribly. None of these new features she could move at all yet.

 

Once they were on the same level again, tears started to stream down her face. She took note of her new appearance more clearly now. In her mind, he had turned her into an ugly monster, a true demon. He, on the other hand, didn’t look like this at all, so why did she have to.

 

In her state of panic, she didn’t recognize how fangs had formed in her mouth, biting her lip by accident. This was only adding to her hysteria as he felt blood stream out of her lips, dropping down from her chin.

 

Concern on his face as he saw her reaction, brushing through the soft feathers of her new asset of wings to calm her down. He couldn’t even remotely understand why she was crying and behaving this way. Lowering his voice, he whispered with a sweet tune in her now pointy ears: “My Star, you are the most beautiful sight, I had ever laid my eyes upon.”


	5. Arc 1 Part 5

**Arc 1**

**Part 5**

 

His simple yet thoughtful words showed an effect on her quickly. She was gasping once in surprise that someone would even remotely say something so sweet and kind to her, considering how she looked like right now.

 

Due to the little shock, she didn’t even notice how her lips already started healing moments after she injured them. The recovering rate of her new body was incredible, and he saw that as well. Thinking about how glad he was that she couldn’t be stolen away from him so easily now.

 

With a body like this, she could remain in this realm and become a respected part of his species. The others wouldn’t try to attack her now and even if they did, she wouldn’t instantly die. His hands wandered up her back and the tip of his fingers carefully brushed over the mark on the back of her neck.

 

This would surely help him to take care of her even better. It was the ultimate sign of their bond. Realizing so, sudden joy overflowed his body. He found his bonded Star, an accomplishment only selected demons were able to achieve, and he bonded her to him for all eternity now.

 

Eternity, what a beautiful thought to hold on to. For humans, it was impossible to even imagine or slightly grasp. But for hell bonded kinds like his, it was just as normal as it was for humankind to breathe air.

 

That very air was hard for her to breathe, he noticed so as she sank deeper in his arms, panting heavily and showing signs of exhaustion. The entirety of this ceremony must have worn her out. He decided it would be best for her to find a place to rest for now.

 

Luckily, he still had a few empty rooms in this castle, one would surely settle to become hers eventually. Picking her up carefully, she almost seemed to doze off into the realm of dreams already. It was easy for him to carry her light body towards the lower floors of his home.

 

An empty chamber located on the right side of a long hallway would settle. He opened the door carefully and stepped into the room to place her on a tester bed. This room was old, barely used and smelled a bit musty. The dust covering the furniture tainted the entire room with a gray scale.

 

If he wanted her to stay here, he had to work this out a little bit. Sighing deeply as he leaned over the mattress, adoring her for a little while. What a cute and freshly born demon. Eyeing her more curiously, she started regaining her consciousness and moved slightly against the softness beneath her.

 

Probably wondering where she was, as she sat up slightly and observed her surroundings. Her focus shifted as the wind blew a branch of a tree against her window, making a loud cracking sound. It was dark outside, no moon in sight. Which made her wonder what she saw up there.

 

Three moons, spinning faster than any other celestial body she had ever seen. Was this even the same universe she found herself in. By any laws of physics, this should be impossible.

 

“Where am I?” She spoke out loud, without even intending to. Right next to her bed he rested still. “Your new room. Don’t you like it?” Shaking her head, this wasn’t what she meant.

“In general, what is this place with the moons?” The thought made her feel dizzy and she fell back into the blankets, with her hand on her forehead.

 

It was hard for him to understand what a human would ask about this place, but he caught her trail of thought as he started explaining. “Well, this is the demon realm. It’s what humans would refer to as hell, but that’s not quite it.” Taking a moment to sort out his words a bit more clearly.

 

“We are in a place beyond time and space as you know it. Time does not flow linearly in this world. It will take time to get used to it. Especially for a newly born demon.” What he had to say frightened her on a larger scale.

 

Thoughts shot through her mind, a new one with each passing second. Would she ever be able to return home? Where was home from here on? Would her family miss her? Would she ever be able to see her friends again? Was time flowing for them just like normal?

 

Time. How much time had passed? Her job. Her life. Food. Sleep. Shopping. Paying rent. Who would pay for all of this? Her heartbeat reached its peak again as she panicked about all those things. What had she done? How could she make this decision? This was so very inconsiderate of her, to just throw away her life and swap it for a new one.

 

Just like the clouds in her mind, the weather outside turned worse, a new cloud with each new question arising. The wind was blowing leaves around, blasting against the window.

 

“What time is it?!” This would be it. The ultimate question her mind could phrase. That's how much she had disorganized her mind. His lips formed an irresponsible grin again, snickering. “I just told you, time doesn’t exist here.”

 

That answer was unsatisfying. If she would have control over her body right now, she would jump up and face him directly. But obviously, she couldn’t.

 

Soft raindrops started to dazzle against the glass, filling the room with a rhythmic sound. Looking away from him, she gave up her worries. She wouldn’t get a favorable answer from him like this anyway. She watched the water drops racing down casement to sort out her brain a little.

 

“How much time has passed since I left home?” her lips unwillingly forming another phrase. Slowly but surely, he started to get what she was so furious about. “Well, we do have a measurement of time. The lunar circles.”

 

Finally, something to work with.

 

“One lunar circle takes approximately eight human weeks to be completed.” Which would be two months. Doing her math with the impressions she got to see at least one or two years had already passed. Those crests were just spinning too fast.

 

“We haven’t even completed one lunar circle yet,” he added. But that didn’t make any sense. She had seen it with her own eyes how many laps they finished.

 

Suddenly the room felt so very cold and her body began to shiver. Instinctively she tugged on the blankets and cuddled herself in more comfortably. It was hard to move after all. A cold storm raged outside by now and it also affected the inside. On top of that, she had always been afraid of thunderstorms like this.

 

Less than ideal circumstances, but for now he had to leave her hanging with that many questions so he could comfort her about this new manner. For a demon, who should be insensitive to temperature, she felt cold. Maybe it was because she was merely a human just a few hours ago.

 

Cowering on her blankets as she assumed a typical fetal position. The bed was large enough for more than two people to fit in. He wasn’t quite sure what to do yet. But taking some kind of action would be better than nothing. So he got up and laid down on the other side of the bed on his stomach, resting beside her.

 

Suddenly a flash of light illuminated the room, the light source being anything but comfortable. A loud thunder followed shortly afterwards, and she inched closer, adjusting her previously assumed position. Her body was screaming for more comfort of his. As she gave him a confronting look he tried to act upon it, what she might expect.

 

With a questioning expression of his own, he lifted up the blanket and fit both of them under it. Humans were so complex and emotional. It baffled him and he had a hard time imagining what was so frightening for her about the weather.

 

Her tiny figure started shivering again for a second. Outside the rain poured down like millions of gallons of water, drops hitting the window like tiny knives. Her flinching and still trembling body didn’t stay unnoticed by him at all.

 

“My Star?” facing her, his eyes reflected the softness of his concern and his confusion. She could not speak up any words, so gave him a rather frightened expression.

 

The scary weather conditions outside didn’t make her feel well at all. Her eyes widened as another lightning bolt struck a tree outside of the castle. Hearing the thunder and the rest of the thunderstorm outside made her flinch once more.

 

“I’m scared,” her tiny voice stuttered, barely audible. The blanket was grabbed by her claws, almost tearing the fabric apart with how much she pulled on it just to hide herself. “Scared of a little rain?” he was chuckling playfully.

 

But for her, it felt much more serious as she gave a nod to his frivolous approach to the situation. He could smell her fear now and almost instinctively he quickly wrapped his arms around her. What was she doing to him? Giving in to such nonsensical gestures. He couldn’t even understand his own actions. His hands touched her lower back and shoulder blades firmly as he tugged her in closer. Holding her protectively, her face pressed on his chest.

 

His voice echoed through the room again, but those words were only meant for her. “You will grow into a strong demon one day. You don’t need to be afraid any longer of such silly things. This storm will just pass by.” His lips curled upwards, forming a soft smile. His eyes darted at her, keeping the focus right on the top of her head, as his hands rubbed softly over her spine to calm her down.

 

She looked like an anxious kitten, even though her shivering decreased as she found comfort in his arms snuggling onto him. As her face pressed onto his chest, hiding, she could feel his warmth and his steady, slow heartbeat. That eventually calmed her enough that she could close her eyes and enjoyed what he was giving to her.

 

Listening to that reassuring voice of his: “Besides, I am here with you. As long as I am around, nothing can hurt you. I promise.” Once more sealing his promise with a kiss, this time on the top of her head. Shortly after, his hands were caressing through the short white strands of her hair.

 

Slowly he started to understand himself. He wanted to protect her, he wanted her only for himself. And these feelings made him do such actions. How untypical for a demon. It felt strange for him to act this way, but nonetheless, he continued with it, for her sake.

 

She, on the other hand, felt safe like this and her own heart rate slowed down to a resting state. Keeping her eyes closed, she let herself slowly fall into a slumber, to the warm comfortable feeling of his presence. His words echoed through her mind, overshadowing the scary storm outside.

 

Under these blankets everything was alright; they were safe and sound and nothing could happen. Taking a deep breath, her breathing turned quieter, slowing down steadily. She was ready to fall asleep and he knew it.

 

Giving her back another gentle stroke with his hands, like brushing over the fur of a tiny animal, he held her in place tightly. Raising his voice one last time, before he would be silent for the rest of her time asleep. “Sleep well, my Star.”

 

The smile lingered on his face and he kissed her forehead ever delicately. “I love you.” He knew she would hear those words even in her dreams. Her tiny body moving ever so slightly, making it visible for him that his words had reached her.

 

Outside, the thunderstorm was slowly passing by, carrying away the dark clouds and all the trouble coming with it. It was time for him to get up since she was fast asleep and wouldn’t wake up any time soon. Knowing how exhausting the ceremony was, even for him it took quite a lot of energy, he had to recover somehow in the aftermath.

 

Breaking away from her embrace he paid attention to not make much noise as he got up. Until the moment she would wake, he had to transform this room into a livable place for her. Starting with the old dusty wardrobe in the corner of the room. Sighing silently to himself at the sight of the work he had ahead of him. She would never give him a break to recover from now on, just like a little toddler who just learned how to walk. He was well aware of these circumstances he put himself in.

 

On top of that, his own behavior concerned him. Becoming so soft wasn’t like him, it wasn’t anyhow like a demon should be. But he didn’t have the time to deal with such thoughts for now. So he had to push them aside and sort himself out later.

 

Once she woke up, the closet should be filled with attire suitable for her new life as a demon, he thought to himself – putting work first. At least that was the plan. He really had to look into how to manage that. In a way it made him feel slightly nervous.

 

In the end, he left the room to acquire everything which would be necessary, giving her a last glace, like a spell enchanting her with sweet dreams. Then he was off, closing the door quietly, doing what he had to in order to afford her a good life here in the demon realm with him.


	6. Arc 2 Part 1

**Arc 2**

**Part 1**

 

Quite a while had passed before she woke up again. Drowsily opening her eyes, she scanned her surroundings. The dark room with the old smell. She remembered. Turning her head, she also noticed how the rain clouds were gone and only the last stains of water ran down on the glass.

 

Her new home. This would be it. Living in eternal darkness, with a stranger she’d trusted so blindly. What had she gotten herself into? Sighing softly, she noticed that her body ached less than before. As she sat up slowly, footsteps approached, and she could hear the door to her room open.

 

Inside the door frame, his figure appeared. A black dress was folded neatly over his arm. As he was entering the room, he also noticed that she was already awake. Not really believing his eyes, how insane her recovery rate was, for a freshly made demon. He had calculated that it would take quite a bit longer for her to get up again.

 

Stepping closer to the bed, he laid the dress on top of the bed frame carefully. She could see glittering fluffy fabric decorating the rest of the clothes. Her eyes looked up into his, questioning what he was doing here.

 

“I filled up your wardrobe over there, hoping you would like the attire I chose for you.” His head moved towards the closet at the end of the room, indicating for her to look into the same direction. Her gaze only temporarily fixated on the wooden object in the corner.

 

Instead, she was quickly taking in the sight of the dress once more, as that was far more interesting. Investigating it closer she saw that it was strapless and had ornaments which resembled flowers all over the garment.

 

He probably wanted her to wear this one. This thought was confirmed as he offered her a hand to get out of bed. Her body only moved slowly, balancing out the weight of her wings on her back. It was difficult to maneuver but not impossible, nor that painful anymore.

 

Standing up firmly he guided her to the mirror positioned next to the wardrobe, gaining the ability to see herself again from a new angle. The shreds from the robe were still hanging all over her body. Taking care of that quickly he removed the leftovers of the ceremony from earlier.

 

Now she saw herself fully. Naked. She was a monster. Observing the horns, claws and fangs as she pulled the corners of her mouth aside; for a few moments she remained calm, but inside of her was a tsunami, ready to break out.

 

She started to tremble at first with stiff moments, then all hell broke loose as she let out a loud scream. Tears rolled down her face again, tainting her nose and lips a darker shade of red. She was raging now outside too, fighting with everything she had against this new body of hers. It was simply not herself anymore.

 

“I am a monster because of you!” she shouted at him. Moving her arms and clenching her fists, she started to hit his shoulders, collarbone and chest and he only looked at her, surprised, gasping in shock, making her stop immediately. So he instantly grabbed her wrists and pulled her into a rough hug. Letting her behave like this? He couldn’t tolerate that. Now she was one of his kind and she needed to learn manners one way or another.

“Snap out of it!” he shouted back in disappointment.

 

Eventually, he sighed deeply, tugging her in more softly, noticing how she had stopped struggling. What was he doing? Never in history had a demon behaved as the two of them did right now. He had to rephrase that in his mind: What was she doing to him? The two of them behaved so much like humans, but how could they.

 

His lips twitched, nervously biting it with his fangs. His gaze was fixed on her, trying to find out what the actual heck was going on. She was still crying, her face deeply buried in his chest, the fabric absorbing the wetness. Her claws dug in his back, though his shirt. Her tail, wildly flickering around, showed how furious she still was.

 

After all, he couldn’t help himself, he had to calm her down somehow. As he did before, he started to caress her back and played softly with the tips of her hair. Maybe a compliment or words of comfort would do the trick again. Giving it a shot, he spoke up:

 

“My Star, you don’t need to cry. In my eyes, you are beautiful the way you are now. Calm down… Please.” He attempted a begging voice again; it worked before to get her to do something. As soon as she lifted up her face and wiped away the tears with the back of her hand, they looked into each other’s eyes.

 

The white in her eyes was red from all the crying. Her lips and nose had swelled a little bit. Demons usually don’t cry; or do they? He was clueless what to do or say to her in that moment. In the end, he couldn’t change her back into a human, nor did he want to.

 

“Why don’t you look like this?” Her voice sounded hurt.

 

“Because...” It slipped out of his mouth, as the words turned silent once more. Not giving her an answer in the end. A sulky expression of hers followed as she pushed him away and crossed her arms. Insufficient for her. Unbelievable.

 

Her grief slowly turned into anger. This wasn’t any better for this situation. She had driven him into a corner, from which he didn’t know how to proceed. “Look, I can’t answer you that now. But you will get all the answers soon. For now, let’s proceed, alright?”

 

Alright? This was anything but alright for her. Staring at her claws once more for a few moments, before she clenched them together and relaxed them a few times. What should she do? She realized, changing anything about this situation was out of her reach.

 

Despite the swirling hateful feelings inside of her, she had to play along with it. Just like he wanted her to. For now, she suppressed everything and just did as he said. It felt so wrong. Everything felt wrong. But he, on the other hand, seemed much more chill now. Then he suggested her to get dressed.

 

Underwear she had to pick out herself from the dresser, while he walked over to the bed to pick up the dress, opening the gown to fit it onto her. On her, it looked more like a dark Gothic costume. “Typical demon wear.” Very fancy for it to be just typical. How in the world was he even able to gather clothes in exactly her size? He’d had all of this planned, probably. This was creeping her out; the thought of a stalker who knew everything about her sent a shiver down her spine. And now she had to live with that person.

 

It didn’t take long for her to just turn around and look up to him. This felt so strangely new and she didn’t know what to think of it. One thing was clear, she still detested her appearance, what he had made of her. But luckily the dress was covering up most of it, at least.

“And now?” she questioned him. “And now we start with your first magical lesson. From this day on, I will be your tutor.”

 

Spit got stuck in her throat. Her what now? She wasn’t expecting that being a demon would come with responsibility and education. One thing she knew for sure; she couldn’t handle many more unpleasant surprises in the meantime. But he was already eager, taking her hands in his he got all excited again, dragging her out of the room in a manner which she could only follow clumsily, stumbling over her own feet.

 

Once more he pulled her through a large section of the building, before stopping in front of another locked door. Again, it needed his all-in-one magical-Swiss-key to open it. Unpicking the seal, he pushed open the door and let the two of them enter.

 

They found themselves in yet another large room with a rather circular build. This time there were a bunch of objects on pedestals, arranged in a spherical order. Once again, this facility was emitting such a strong magical vibe, it was breathtaking. At a second glance, she noticed those were no ordinary objects but golden statues of a variety of different items.

 

With a clap of his hands, the room lit up, giving a clear view of the shapes hiding behind the shimmering silhouettes. Framed by purple curtains, hanging from the walls, giving everything an extra fancy feel to it. She could make out a lot of different goods. In one corner she could see a bottle, in another she noticed a feather floating midair. What did all these objects have in common, wondering to herself as she tried to take a brief look at each one individually.

 

But that wasn’t granted to her, as he interrupted her sightseeing. “These are the thirteen branches of demonic magic. Each demon has one or two of these elements assigned to them in which they would become an expert in. And the first step is to find out your proficiency.” As she was still taking in the view of the room, it became clear for her that this room was brighter than the others she had seen so far.

 

Thirteen, he said. “Can’t one master all of them?” popped out of her mouth.

 

“I have to disappoint you, but the likes of us can’t. There is only one creature which can.” This made her curious who this one mythical person might be. But even before she could speak up her question his hands clapped together once more, turning off the light.

 

The room was pitch black now for her, she couldn’t see one damn thing. “Now, close your eyes.” How funny of him, she was already blind. Rolling her eyes, she eventually did as he said. Further instructing her: “Concentrate. Your inner eye will tell you where to go. Then follow its magnetic pull.”

 

And just as he said, her feet wandered off on their own, approaching the piece in the far back of the room. The darkness in the room vanished as she came closer, as now the sculpture itself gave off radiant shining light, revealing an hourglass figure to her.

 

Reaching out her hand, she touched the material and the glow vanished, turning it into a regular sand-filled hourglass, which started functioning the moment she came in contact with it.

 

Around her, time itself was spinning. Her entire life up to this point flashing past her in just a matter of seconds. Then other humans, so many other lives. They were all moving past her, like a movie.

Just like old time theaters, the snippets of these lives rolled up on a movie scroll.

Then blackness once again. A radiant star exploding in the middle of all of it. She just witnessed the birth of the universe and all it would hold, until its bitter end.

 

Gasping as she suddenly snapped out of it, she opened her eyes and noticed the object before her return to normal. It was just the little frozen hourglass again. Questioning what just happened, she turned towards him and gave him a highly confused expression.

 

“Time manipulation. Such a powerful ability. Rarely seen.” he explained to her. “But a dangerous magic on top. I am not educated in this field. This is why I will not teach you that from the start on.” Exclaiming so already to her, to make things clear from the very beginning.

 

She then stepped back towards him and nodded, hoping this would be all she had to do, but she miscalculated. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he turned her around to make her face the pedestals again. What else did he want of her?

 

“Some demons have more than one magical branch. I encourage you to find out. Is there anything else you are drawn too?” Pushing her forwards to advance once more. It surely looked like he was more eager than her to find out her magical abilities. But fine, in a way she was curious too.

 

Magical powers were, as a human, unbelievable. Should she really believe in all this occult stuff? To her, it was still kind of unbelievable in its entirety. Closing her eyes, she once again looked out for her inner focus and where it would lead her.

 

Indeed, there was another place she was walking to. Towards a tiny golden cat with a paw sticking up in the air. Usually one could find those in restaurants and the paw would wave at you. A sign of good luck when entering the place.

 

Just like last time, the object started moving once she laid her fingers upon it. The golden cat transformed into a little kitten, sitting on the ground and licking its paw delightfully. It was so cute, she really wanted to pick it up or at least pet it.

 

But for now, that wasn’t an option for her. Her hands just slipped through the animal, like it was nonexistent. Instead, the cat stopped cleaning itself, stood up and walked right through her. Just the moment after, she heard a loud roar behind her.

 

Completely shocked, she quickly turned around, just to face an overgrown black, panther breathing right in her face. What a majestic beast that was. And how scary those golden eyes sparkled at her. The very moment later the unenviable happened as it leaped right off and into her, she cowardly flinching away.

 

A loud scream from her and the illusion in front of her inner eyes vanished once more, she found herself in the room again. Turning her head to look out for him, his proud looking face came into her vision. Now he approached her, his expression, overflowing with joy.

 

“Animal control!” he exclaimed happily. What was he so excited about? Pulling her eyebrows together she gave him a concerned look. “W-what does that mean?” she stuttered, unbelieving of what she just witnessed.

 

First clearing his throat, then explaining, “Well, this magic allows you to manipulate animals, small or big. And of course, to create shadow familiars in their image. As well as animals of that kind are naturally drawn to you.” He was already giving her a teacher vibe.

So far, to her, it all still sounded like nonsense and some gibberish, but maybe with time, she would understand better. Sighing quietly, she held her arms with her hands, rubbing them nervously.

 

His voice added another level to what she had seen there: “What you experienced there is only meant for your own mind. But I hope one day you trust me enough to tell me about it.” It seemed this process was individual for each demon and was something very personal. In detail, she didn’t want to explain this to him now, so she only shook her head lightly.

 

“However, we start our first lesson with something completely different.” He raised his voice as he was already walking out of the room, indicating for her to follow by his side.

 

“And that would be…?” Tilting her head to look up to him, as the two of them walked together.

 

“I will first teach you how to use your wings!”


	7. Arc 2 Part 2

**Arc 2**

**Part 2**

 

He led her to a singular room located in the upper part of the castle. The door looked like it would break apart at any moment. No magical seals this time, he just opened the door carefully. The two of them found themselves in a room she would get to know very well in the near future.

 

The small place they entered wasn’t very fancy, just cozy. A chamber with two floors. The one on the bottom had niches with walls made from old looking bookshelves. A rustic staircase located on the far left side of the room led to the top floor where a simple desk was located.

 

Introducing her to the room, the two of them stepped forwards so she could admire the details of it. “This will be your studying room. And my workspace as well.” It was so messy and there were so many things laying around it was hard to take in the sight of everything at once.

 

For now, their point of interest was upstairs. Inviting her to go forth she walked to the top floor slowly. In a way, she still tried to observe this space, looking over the railing which her hand was gliding over. Just a few more steps and they stood in front of a large window right next to the desk.

 

In fact, it wasn’t a window, it was actually a door frame, the passage being made out of glass. Outside she could see the sky with its millions and trillions of stars and some clouds passing by a blue moon.

 

Stepping past her, he opened the door for her and the cold of air of the eternal night flowed in, making her shiver. The black stone tiled floor of the balcony outside was still wet from the rain earlier and she was still barefoot. Probably this would be even colder for her once she had to step out.

 

But he already took the lead, walking outside and enjoying the view. Like, doesn’t he see it often enough? Quickly walking up to him, she trembled with each step on these greasy stones. Maybe this would be a view one could see all their life and would still be amazed by its beauty.

 

Remembering his words from earlier: ‘… only forest for miles’. That surely wasn’t a lie, it’s what she was seeing right now. The pitch-black sky, like a dark blanket over reddish trees far and wide. Even looking to the horizon, she could only see nature.

 

Leaning over the railing a little too much, he picked her up and made her stand up on this very fence. They were high up in the air and even the thought of looking down made her feel nauseous. She never liked heights, and this was a little too much for her taste.

Being as polite as possible, she asked him if he would kindly put her down on the floor again. But in the end, this was all for nothing.

 

Not even in the slightest would she have thought of what he was about to do next. Like a mother-bird would kick out their younglings from the nest, he just shoved her down the rooftop, making her fall to her certain demise.

 

Her hysteric and alarming screams filled the night as she kept on falling. Luckily for her, he noticed soon enough she wasn’t able to use her wings at all. They were paralyzed, just like she was.

 

To save her from experiencing her last breath, he quickly jumped right after her, falling even quicker, just to catch her in the last moment before she hit the ground and would end up as a puddle of blood. His wings broadly spread on his back, forming within half the blink of an eye. Catching the momentum, positioning them just right, he used the wind under his wings to gain height once more.

 

Now he started soaring over the forest under him, holding her in his arms tightly. Still, she couldn’t even grasp what just happened. Blinking away the confusion, she started yelling at him: “What was that?! What were you thinking?! Are you trying to kill me?!”

 

Struggling against him in her rage, he just rolled his eyes and sarcastically answered: “Be careful, I might let you fall.” That was enough for her to become silent. Taking a brief look at what was under her made her curl up in fear, closing her eyes. This was way too much for her poor heart to take.

 

After a while, she dared to open her eyes again and peek over his shoulder. The castle was coming into her view in the distance. She noticed how it was placed on some type of hill or mountain or cliff. Anyhow, it looked lonely. Far and wide, there were no other houses to be seen; just empty landscape filled with plants and plains.

 

Her gaze shifted and she looked up into his eyes, which peered forwards, gazing over the ground beneath them. He might be lonely. A soft sigh from her as she just let him carry her through the skies.

 

“But seriously, why did you push me?” Adjusting his wings to change the direction he looked down at her for a moment before answering. “Well, usually one of the first things demon children learn is how to fly. It’s like a natural instinct to them, and since you are a demon child yourself…”

 

He didn’t finish his sentence, but it became clear to her. Demons were indeed like birds. Once they are tall enough, their guardian just kicks them out of their nest and they automatically know how to use their feathers. Makes sense.

 

By now they already circled back, heading back into the direction of his home. She gazed upon the horizon one more time then over the reddish trees under her. The demon realm, such a dark place. Such a surreal place.

 

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” he asked her very abruptly. For her, it was unclear if this was really beauty. “I don’t know. It seems… gloomy.” That was her honest opinion. One last time looking into the sky, she took in the view of the different colored celestial bodies. So much to learn for her about these new circumstances.

 

As they landed softly back at the balcony, he let her glide to the solid ground under her feet. She felt glad to finally have something to stand on again. His wings vanished into thin air, only leaving some loose feathers behind which silently floated to the ground. Thoughtfulness was painted all over his face. What was he thinking about now?

 

The way she reacted to the flying practice made him think what was possibly wrong with her. It’s strange and unnatural for a demon to behave this way. Never had he seen something like this before. Why couldn’t she move her wings? His fingers found their way up to his chin, as he moved forwards and back into the room, indicating for her to follow him inside.

 

Then he had an idea, what might be the cause of this. Her muscles must still be stiff. That’s probably it. For a creature who’d never had wings in their entire life, it must feel so very different to suddenly have a new asset of limbs, spouting from their back.

 

He guided her down the stairs to the comfy chamber. In the middle of the room was a circular rug with different furniture placed on top of it – a soft couch, as well as an armchair. The equipment was covered in violet velvet. Sitting down with her, he allowed her to take a seat on his lap, facing him directly.

 

Without further hesitation, his hands found their place on her shoulder blades, right at the root of her wings. Thoughtfully, yet carefully and confidently, he started to knead the muscles which had formed there, hoping to ease them a little, making her able to move and use her wings properly.

 

To her, this came as a surprise, not really knowing what he was trying to do. But it felt pleasant. Closing her eyes, quiet purrs escaped her throat as she just sank onto his warm body, letting him massage her back.

 

After a while, he still hadn’t stopped, but some questions started to pop up in her mind. “The demon realm. What is this place exactly? You didn’t tell me in detail earlier.” He was surprised to hear this question, but glad too. After all, they still had their studying session, and she wanted to learn.

 

Raising his voice, speaking like a tutor again: “Well, I think to explain that, I should start with the very beginning. Are you ready for a history lesson?” Chuckling playfully, warning her that this could be a long story to listen to. She just gave him a silent nod before she let her head rest on his shoulders to be able to listen carefully. Then he began to explain:

 

“You might know that in the beginning there was nothing. Then the so-called big bang happened. A light, birthing the universe. But what humans are unaware of it also gave birth to two twin sisters. Eternal beings created out of the light and darkness of the freshly born universe.” He took a deep breath and stroked over her back carefully, brushing her feathers a little.

 

“One was named God by the humans later, and the other one was Satan. Their ideals couldn’t be any more conflicting with each other. Fighting over the universe and the purpose of human life for millennia, creating armies made from their own flesh and blood. Today knows as devils and demigods. The humans, however, never even caught a glimpse of this war going on, even though it was all about them.” He looked up thoughtfully as another pause followed, thinking on if she would even understand all of this. Continuing slowly would be the way to go.

 

“Each sister wanted that the humans would join their forces once their life on earth had ended. Then, after countless unsuccessful battles, they came to an agreement. Each one should rule over their very own realm without stepping into the territory of the other, and humans would enter these realms, judging by how they lived during their mortal life. This arrangement is still relevant for us, to this very day and probably for all eternity. With all their power they created their own worlds,

apart from the space-time the humans were used to. They created a place each on their own to which mortals could ascend to, once their soul left their human body.”

 

His hands wandered up her back, playing around with her hair, paying close attention to how she would react to all of that. But she just listened without making a move nor a sound. Well, she took that quite well in his eyes.

 

“Their last deed, but this is only a legend, was to create one human being, shaped in their own image, which should look over the humans and live among them. This creature was half of the one sister and half of the other. The purpose of this human-like individual is to be reborn without any memories of their past lives time and time again. But this is only a myth; no one could prove nor deny the existence of this being.”

 

Irritated, his gaze shifted to the side, taking a curious look around the room. Almost feeling sorry for himself that he couldn’t give her a defined answer to these specific tales.

 

“However, what humans know, once their life on earth comes to an end; their souls move on and they either become an angel or a demon, depending on how they lived their life. It is known to humankind as religion.” With that last statement he finished up his history lesson and a soft smile was visible on his face.

 

Lifting her head up from his body, she looked into his eyes. A bit expressionless, considering what she just heard, but within her eyes, there was a spark of interest and excitement. But probably more confusion on how she could digest all of that properly.

 

“So, is Satan the leader of all demons?”

“Demons and devils, yes. She is the only one being able to control all thirteen branches of magic. Actually, all the magic given to us was born from her powerful self.”

 

That answered a question she’d had earlier in the room with the statues. The only person being so powerful to master all magic was none other than Satan herself. The thought of such a strong being sent shivers down her spine.

 

And by now he also had lowered his hands, stopping his care of her back and just securing her tightly on his lap, while resting his hands on her hips. “Any more questions?”

 

Her hands now held onto his shoulders as she shook her head. No more questions from her side.

 

Invisible to both of their eyes, for now, a strange purple substance began to emerge from the silver around her finger, slowly starting to cover up her hands. It was the same dark smoke which had entered the ring during her transformation ceremony. But why was it seeping out again?

 

Unknown to her, it already took control over her body. Her eyes lost their light as they started to blur out, soon looking like a grayish puddle. He noticed a change in her and grabbed her shoulders to shake her body mildly, not quite yet knowing what was actually happening.

 

Trading in her consciousness, the dark essence took over her body to dominate her entirely. Not a word escaped her mouth as she stood up and wandered to the end of the room soullessly. Like she was drawn to something, she walked past a little corridor of bookshelves to a niche at the end of the room, leaving him behind, confused. What was she doing?

Resentfully, he got up to follow her. By the time she found a place in a separate part of the room, the floor was entirely covered with cushions and the stars sparkled through a glass ceiling above her.

 

Stopping in the door frame to this tiny section of his workspace, he politely asked her to come back to continue their lesson. He crossed his arms as he watched her disobeying. Instead, she found it more useful to lay down on the soft floor and watch the skies.

 

“No.” Her voice sounded absent as she spoke to him. She wasn’t herself anymore, nor did she have control over anything which happened. Her behavior was similar to that of a puppet on a string, her actions not being her own in the slightest. But not even he noticed so. Just another strange and unnatural thing which probably shouldn’t have happened.

 

Her rude tone of voice was displeasing to him, so he raised his own voice, being a little bit more aggressive. “What do you mean ‘no’? I am your teacher, so get up and come back.” Being way less polite than the first time he asked her to.

 

No reaction of hers to that again. Slowly he started to lose his patience and so he stepped up to her, to bring her back. Right as he grabbed onto her wrist, her claws sprung out, digging into the flesh of his arm. It didn’t hurt him, but it was such a disrespectful response to just attack the hand reaching out to her.

 

He tried to get her under control but was fruitless. Instead, the little demon decided biting him would be a good idea. Her teeth sank in his skin, locking her jaw in right between her nails. By now she was truly behaving like a monster, or a wild animal which needed to be tamed.

 

Enough is enough, he decided. He wouldn’t let himself be treated like this by her, and shook her off with ease. Thus, she fell on the pillows once again. Without further hesitation, he grabbed the tip of her tail and pulled her up by it.

 

“What do you think you are doing?” Lecturing her with this strict statement. She, on the other hand, now decided to claw into the soft floor, ripping it apart and making the filling spill out. Roars and hissing emerged out of her mouth. What the actual fuck had happened to her? He couldn’t explain it. Not even slightly.

 

Finally pulling her off the mattress he held her up so that she couldn’t get stuck anywhere anymore. Yet she was still struggling and raging against him. Luckless though. He was way stronger and trained on how to handle such misbehavior. Furious brawling was insufficient. But by now it felt more like restraining a newborn kitten from destroying the wall and curtains.

 

For a moment he considered what to do with her, then he decided to handle her like he would handle any demon child misconducting. It was time for a punishment for such an attitude: defeathering.


	8. Arc 2 Part 3

**Arc 2**

**Part 3**

Unwillingly, he dragged her to an almost empty, cold chamber, somewhere in a dark corner of the castle. There was only a rough surface made from stone with leather straps hooked onto it, looking entirely like the only purpose of this room was acting as a torture chamber. Like a stubborn tiger, she still struggled against him with all her might. When would she ever learn that it was completely useless?

 

It didn’t take him long to strap her down on the ice-cold bench and tie up her wrists and ankles. What a harsh way to silence her. An awfully familiar sight on top, considering this was how she woke up in his castle the very first time upon her arrival. The only difference was now that she was laying there face down first.

 

More angry roars came from her, fighting to get back her freedom, but the handcuffs restrained her well enough to keep her in place, even cutting in her skin, considering the force she used to break free. With a sigh of disgust, he watched her closely. “You know, I don’t wanna do this, but you leave me no other choice.”

 

As soon as he stepped closer, the dark smoke covered her entire back, just waiting to attack its prey – him. Now he saw it, too. It was indeed the same magical essence which he thought he had sealed off in the ring. How strange. But he couldn’t help himself. Somehow, he had to get this little demon brat under control again. Under  _his_  control precisely.

 

Letting a young demon just run around without any guidance, letting it do whatever it wanted; that was out of the question. She, as a freshly born demon child, had to learn this the easy or the hard way, no exceptions. There was only one way to take in the end.

 

Before those tentacle-like shapes emerging from her had a chance to attack him, he jumped on her back, pressing his knee into her spine, keeping her down neatly with his own weight. She screamed in pain as tears started to drop out of the corner of her eyes. Somewhere in between all this chaos, she was still there. Somehow.

 

His hands quickly found themselves on the root of her wings, holding them down too, nicely spread out. The magical dust, almost as if it had its own will, started to dart out and grab onto his wrists as soon as his hands were touching her. Was it protecting her? No, it couldn’t be. It was just acting out of its own stubborn, uncontrolled will. Another sigh and a click from his tongue, he was rather annoyed already.

 

Waving his hand, he shook free from the grip of this thing. It left little burn marks, but nothing too major. One thing was certain; it wouldn’t just give her free yet. Therefore, he had to proceed quickly. May the punishing begin. That’s how all his kind had to learn the rules among demons.

 

His fingers scrapped through her black silky feathers, finding their ways to the baby-feathers right at the bones. Perfect. His fingers started to pluck the tiny ones out first, one by one.

 

Her body really didn’t like that. Even though she was screaming because of this, her body yelled even more. How it started shaking and squirming, with every feather falling down. Even the substance disliked this process, and once more started its attacks on the grown demon on her back.

 

Like little sharp needles, it tried to attack his hands and arms, hoping he would somehow stop what he was doing to her. Her claws started to graze over the foundation she was laying on, causing an irritating, high pitched sound. Just like someone scratched all over a blackboard. This horrifying melody was joined by her piercing screams of agony.

 

Slowly but surely as he kept on picking out the feathers, they sank down on the ground and created a small pile of black fluff on the floor. How much longer did this have to go on. Really unimpressed, he shook off the purple substance time and time again, the small wounds caused by it healing up immediately. And yet no sign of remorse from her. Just further barrage, time and time again.

 

“This would be way easier for both of us if you would just apologize,” he said with a hint of sadism, on his face a devilish grin. After all, he couldn’t hide it, he was a demon. A rotten creature shaped from the deepest dark flames of hell.

 

Another growl from her, then more hissing as she was trying to shake him off her, still very fiercely. So much energy in such a small body. He couldn’t help himself but continued pursuing his quest to tame her. But now he had to bring in the big ones.

 

His hands circled over her backsides, aiming for larger feathers he could pull out. The smaller ones were already growing back, causing inflammation in the fresh wounds, amplifying the pain even more. Only a few drops of blood covered her feathers, barely visible at all due to the dark hue of them. By now, her body was arching in pain, a circle of injuring and healing up immediately. Still, no sign of her giving in just yet.

 

How tedious, he thought to himself. One feather, two feathers, then three, four. All of them fell and added up to so many, one could fill a pillow with. Not a bad idea, he could make indeed a pillow out of it and gift it to her as an eternal reminder. What a devious thought.

 

Not being able to fight it, a small laugh slipped from his lips, but that moment was interrupted by the magical smoke having enough finally. Launching one last attack at him, it tried to fight back with everything it had. Curling around his wrists and neck, attempting to do the same to him as he had done to her: Restraining his limbs and keeping him from moving any further.

 

Just another failed attempt, because he’d had enough as well, groaning out in anger: “Quit it!” As he grabbed the strings and ripped them off himself, madness swapped over him too. He had to put an end to this senseless battle, and he would.

 

Very determined, he violently kept on ripping out feathers. Her wings were thinned out quite a lot by now, almost not being able to grow them back fast enough. Even once they stocked up again, they met their certain demise just a moment later. All those injuries he caused her finally showed an effect on her.

 

Slowly draining her of her energy, her body tried to heal itself rapidly, and this was sucking out her magical resources. Ultimately, he had her right where he wanted to have her.

 

Through cries and misery, the purple smoke lost its power, dying down and giving up. Seeping back to where it came from, returning her body to the original owner. Breathing in deeply, it was over for now, right? He could stop torturing her like this.

 

So he got off her and walked around the pedestal to take a closer look at her face. She was unconscious, it seemed. No wonder, after such a procedure. An unfavorable outcome, nonetheless. He wouldn’t get his apology like this. Hopefully she learned something anyhow and would show regret later down the road.

 

With a snap of his fingers, the shackles sprung open, giving her limbs freedom. She definitely had to rest up for now, and her room would be perfect for that. A small hint of doubt still brushed over him, if the magic had really retired. After all, he hadn’t seen her eyes yet. But sometimes hoping is all one could do.

 

Effortlessly he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, carrying her lifeless body back to her chamber.

With a dull sound, her body landed on the mattress on her bed. Not a sound from her voice. Not a movement from her body. Staying around her a little longer, his gaze fell upon her and the surroundings. Knowing this problem, in particular, wasn’t fixed just yet.

 

This little child caused nothing but problems; how annoying. His tongue clicked. He was still very angry at her. By now he even doubted his own judgment. Had he really brought the right one into his home? He couldn’t believe that his bonded star would behave worse than an infant.

 

Nervously, he bit his tongue with his own fangs. He still had to clean the chamber of her feathers. While he did so, she should just sleep. Closing the door with a frown on his face and disappointment in his heart, he just let her rest for a while.

 

After a while in the land of dreams, her eyes slowly opened up. Her body had recovered enough to keep her alive and awake. Moving a little she noticed how her wings still hurt. Again, she found herself in this dark room, this time all alone.

 

No sound, no soul anywhere near. Just she herself, laying there. Almost like a test subject. Somehow, she knew he wouldn’t show his face to her in quite a while. Memories of what had happened to her replayed in her mind.

 

The reason she was brought here and passed out in first place. Even thinking about it, how she was unable to control her body and just watch silently from far away, sent shivers down her spine - and also agony. But that was caused by a flash of pain due to her recovering wings.

 

This time she was the one who sighed heavily. Things couldn’t continue like this. Like a circle of good and bad. Of pain and healing. Of disappointment and joy. This was not a place she was meant to be, it seemed.

 

Even moving a little made her back ache. More time was necessary to get rid of this pain. When would this be? For now, she had enough time to think, at least. In her mind, there was only one solution to this problematic situation she found herself in.

 

Somehow, she had to deceive him enough to find an opening to flee from this cursed place, which brought her nothing but ambivalence. Leaving him behind and forgetting that any of this had ever happened to her.


	9. Arc 2 Part 4

**Arc 2**

**Part 4**

 

The time spent alone in this room in her half-comatose, half-awake state, surely felt like an eternity before he decided he wanted to check up on her. If she might be awake already.

 

“Took you long enough.” The salty spite on her tongue was clearly detectable as soon as he opened up the door to her dorm. Just rolling his eyes, he wasn’t in the best mood either after what happened.

 

“We have to go on with the lesson from earlier. Since it got interrupted due to this little incident of yours.” To put it lightly. While being in the room he didn’t even look at her, just past her.

 

Tossing the blanket aside, she got herself out of bed. For now, it would play in her favor if she went along with him. If she wanted to pursue her plan of getting out of here, she must study him first.

Knowing when a good time would be to strike, and if that was, what it would take, then so be it. Soon she would shed this cloak of obedience and lies anyway.

 

With determined steps she walked up to him, giving him the sign to guide her back to their studying room. Not exchanging any further words, he let the door slip shut and accompanied her back to his workspace.

 

The cozy feeling the room once had was gone as they entered it a second time. Strange coldness emitted from every corner of this room. No, of this building. And most importantly, from him. Even though he tried to hide it so well, he was undeniably still mad at her. After all, he didn’t get what he wished for from her. A simple yet effective apology, to understand and make up for her inappropriate behavior.

 

Wordlessly, he ushered her to sit down on one of the chairs positioned in the middle of the small room. He was looking through some books but deciding there wasn’t anything fitting there. Turning around he looked down at her silently for just a few seconds, snapping out of it rather quickly.

 

“I think it’s important for you to learn about the flow of time and how it differs from what humans call linear time.” Even his voice was distant. Like a true teacher who had no connection whatsoever to their student. Someone who would just teach them the necessities.

 

As soon as he mentioned the word time, her sharp ears twitched upwards. That topic again. It caught her interest, and there were still some questions left unanswered from earlier. Making sure he thought she would be willing to learn, she just gave him a simple nod, asking politely for him to continue.

 

“Well, humans invented the clock and the calendar you should be familiar with. During their lifetime they believe death is the end. Some believe in the eternal afterlife their soul will ascend to. And this is when the flow of time changes for them.” His fingers brushed off some dust on the bookshelf he was leaning on, keeping a keen eye on her.

 

“Imagine it like a movie, but the end is not end. Once they passed over to either become an angel or demon, their time starts circling. Time just keeps on repeating itself, like a circle. Someone outside of this sphere would say they stay still in time.” Pushing himself off the rack he was leaning on, he looked up for a moment, then approached her to take a seat at the armchair across the room. “And in a way they are right.”

 

Position his arms on his knees as he leaned forward. Again, he looked through her, not at her. This was going so far, she turned away her head so as not to have to face him. “Time does not exist for the likes of us demons. We as beings can wander through time and space however we desire.” A soft laughter came from him as he thought about the great things demons did in the past to influence humans.

 

He could think for ages about it, how many disasters they brought upon humankind through their doings. The black plague and wars were only minor incidents in the history of mankind, for them at least. But he would spare her this for now.

 

Attempting to get back to the topic, he tried to give her an example which would make her understand. “The room you saw, you wondered about. You know the one with the many moons. They are our way of measuring time. The lunar cycles. And on top of that, this room, is an example of our magic, being able to manipulate time. The room is locked with a seal for a reason.” Now his

gaze became sharp, finally speaking to her, and it caught her curiosity enough to also look back into his eyes. “It’s a place separate from time and space. An entire pocket dimension on its own.”

 

That actually explained a lot to her. Breathing slowly, a heavy weight was lifted from her chest, knowing it wasn’t that much time which had passed by. Looking over to him, she saw he was playing with his fingers nervously.

 

“Well, this is also where your powers come into play.” Her powers? Oh, yeah. She had completely forgotten; he had diagnosed her with so-called ‘time manipulation powers’. It indeed made her wonder; if regular demons already possessed such power of time itself, how would having time-related powers be in any way special?

 

“I kind of lied about the branches earlier. The core essence of them is embedded in each demon and devil in existence. But only the masters of each element can unleash the true power of it.” What he explained to her made no sense to her ears. Tilting her head in confusion, she let him continue to explain.

 

“The events which are about to happen for humans are predetermined at any time. You can say when you look at the earth dwellers from the outside, that for them the past, present and future all exist at the same time. And everything which happens will happen if we want it or not. Those timelines correct themselves, no matter how much we interfere.” That was highly contradicting to what he said before and made even less sense. Just rolling with it was the only option for now.

 

“A demon of your kind with the branch of power, however...” A brief pause. He looked away before returning to gaze deeply into her eyes. For the first time in a while, she could feel the emotion behind what he was trying to convey. “… Can alter the events which are going to occur and change what has been supposedly set in stone.”

 

This made her swallow. Was she really this powerful? No, it couldn’t be. This was just to intimidate her, wasn’t it? Struggling with believing any of this she laughed it off anxiously. However, this didn’t cause a good reaction from him.

 

He thought she wasn’t taking him seriously, so his hand formed a fist and hit the armrest of the soft chair underneath him. At least it silenced her very suddenly. Once more, they stared at each other,

but void of any emotion. These awful icy feelings between them were back.

 

Their staring contest was interrupted shortly after as he lowered his head, supporting it with his hands, looking like he got a headache. Carefully she tried to break the tension between them and his annoyed mood.

 

“May I ask, how old are you, in human time?” Such a personal question out of the blue. That surprised him. What was she up to? His fingers slid over his face before he tried to answer her question. This felt so odd. “Well, I first started wandering this realm and earth around the time of the late stone age. It must have been 21,000 human years by now.”

 

That number made her swallow thickly. Was he serious? Surely he must have made a mistake. “Twenty-one-thousand?” Confirming so with a defined nod. He was serious. But she couldn’t believe it. This huge number itself almost made her faint once more.

 

A loud laugh from him, leaning back in the chair. “You know, I am relatively young for a demon. Our very ancestors existed even before humans did. Demons like me appeared with the first

humans. And about you, could you even imagine how eternity feels like?” Raising his eyebrow at such a cocky question of his. She couldn’t image, so she shook her head lightly.

 

“Your body won’t really age from now on anymore.” Suddenly his voice got its seriousness back. Could he kindly stop dropping all those bombs on her at once? It made her flinch as her claws dug in the fabric of the sofa uneasily.

 

Not sure what she should say, she just tried to work all of what she had just heard. Her thoughts were spinning in her mind. He had given her way too much to consider. This whole plan of fleeing could be more complicated as she thought.

 

She among humans again, as someone who doesn’t grow anymore. Complicated indeed. Her friends, her customers and most importantly her family would wonder. And what if she got a boyfriend or girlfriend, going back to the human world. Her fingers twitched thinking about all these issues which rose up with her once simple plan.

 

First things first. For now, she had to first figure out how to get back to the human world. Her home world. Earth. The place where she really belonged.

 

“The human realm!” she exclaimed all of sudden. “How is it connected to this world?” Curiosity on his face again. It even made him wonder why she had so many questions now. He got himself out of the chair again and walked over to a bookshelf, scanning some books thoughtfully.

 

Still having a lot of things to do, this would be a good opportunity to let her study by herself. He had a few books which would cover the topic in an understandable way. If she read it on her own, it would buy him time to finally get down to all those issues which had piled up by now in his mind.

 

A few moments later he pulled out three different books for her. One about the human realm itself, another which covered the connection between the two realms, and lastly, a translation book for her,

well aware she wouldn’t be able to read even one word without it. Demons had their own language after all, and she was unfamiliar with it.

 

“Here.” He reached out towards her, handing her the lectures. “This should answer all your questions and cover the topics neatly.” Surprisingly, this went better than she might have thought. Maybe if she asked nicely, she would be allowed to go to her room with those. Those books might hold the information which would be the key for her to get away from here.

 

Furiously planning and mapping out her thoughts in her mind. This was more than perfect. Events had aligned better than expected. Gratefully, she accepted the books and held them tightly to her. They seemed old and the pages were a little yellow already. The thin layer of dust rubbed against her black dress and left white stains.

 

“Can I read them in my room? I always get a little nervous when someone else is around.” Lying to get away from this, but it wasn’t a big deal for him. Some time alone for his work would also come in handy for him.

 

So, he brought her back to her room quickly and closed the door, making sure she’d stay in the room until he could return later. But that, as well, was just a deception of hers. Very determined to use any slacking off from him to flee, she already made her plans in the back of her mind. One last fake smile and then the door closed, giving her time to research on how to get rid of all of this.

She sat down on her bed and took a deep breath before she opened up the first book. It mainly covered how this dark dimension and the Earth were connected. Looking through the translation book she found it easy to catch up on what it was saying, also noticing it was just the same as the human world’s Greek language, and many things were also nicely illustrated with hand-drawn images.

 

Skipping through the pages, she came across a page which spoke about something called a ‘twilight zone’. The main interface between the world of the mortals and hell-born eternal creatures. It seemed like an easy way to access and just pass over.

 

But even with the transcript on her hand, getting into the details was a little harder than imagined. Brushing over the page gathering the main aspects would have to do for now. Skipping a few pages, she found a single paragraph, talking about how to create a portal to enter this zone. Splendid, exactly what she was looking for.

 

Now for the translation of those strange symbols. Why wasn’t there any phonetic script attached to this book? It felt mildly frustrating, but there was no way around it. In the end, she had to put in more effort than expected. Concentrating sharply until it exhausted her a little.

 

With a defeated sigh, she let herself fall back on the bed sheets, staring at the roof of the frame a few moments. Soon, probably, she could return to her normal life. At least, that’s what she pictured in her mind. Still, she had to find a way around the problem of her body being stuck at this age forever. She would manage somehow; she always did.

 

Putting her hand in the air, she clenched and relaxed it a few times until it became blurry within her sight. She began questioning her sanity again. How could any of this be real? Maybe she was dreaming and would wake up in her bed, back in the apartment any moment. The thought of it was soothing.

 

Then the harsh reality hit her. This was no dream. Her chest felt heavy and she swung herself up again. If she wanted back her old life, she had to work for it. She already came this far, giving up was out of the question.

 

So, she spent more time than she wanted to working her way through the pages, until she figured what most of it meant. Never had she studied this much before; surely a few hours must have passed by now. Or not. Remembering that he’d said time doesn’t exist in this way here.

 

All this time stuff was just way too complex and gave her a headache. This wasn’t what she was supposed to think about right now anyway. She had figured what she wanted, and she had to prepare to go. Energetically, she placed her legs outside of the soft bed and got herself up.

 

She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror at the end of the room. Her appearance. She had to cover it up. The wardrobe would surely hold a few normal clothes and maybe a robe with a hat to cover up those monstrous features which defaced her so horribly.

 

Digging through the many dresses within the closet, she eventually was able to find something plain

– a pair of shorts and a white top. At least that wouldn’t make her stand out among modern society. Getting rid of the tight corsage quickly, she changed into the way more comfortable attire.

 

That being done, she now had to find something to cover her feathered assets on her back, as well as her horns peeking out of her silvery hair. And of course, the tail, she almost forgot it was there. Had she gotten used to it already? Hiding all these things permanently might be a bit harder challenge to face. If she played her cards right, people would maybe think it was a costume. Unlikely though.

 

Luckily the commode also contained a black cape which would fit the purpose just right. Wielding the piece of cloth around her shoulders, the hem almost reached to the floor. Not an ideal cover-up, but it would do the job well enough until she had a better idea. Quickly pulling up the hood, hiding her face in the shadows of it.

 

Everything had to happen fast now. One mistake, one second wasted, one moment staying too long in this place, could blow up her entire plan. Experimenting with magic inside her room could alert him. So, the forest would have to do. In a way, it was a good training ground, with no soul witnessing any of it.

 

Carefully shoving open the door, she looked right and left in the hallway to make sure he wasn’t coming back any time soon. The book was pressed tightly on her chest, beneath the fabric of the cloak. A cold wind blew down the long corridor, making her exposed ankles shiver. This clothing wasn’t giving her much warmth.

 

Guilt swayed over her as her feet carried her down the stairs, presumably towards the exit of the castle. She was seriously about to pull it off, for real. As she reached a heavy door, covered with metal as a decorative element, her hand brushed over the valve. Even that felt icy.

 

If she had done that for a moment longer, her hand would have been covered in splinters. What was she doing anyway? She was wasting precious time. Any moment he could notice her and stop her from proceeding.

 

Shaking herself, then pulling herself together, she tried to rip open the giant door. It was really hard to manage, but not impossible. A tiny gap was enough for her to slip through. A small body can be convenient from time to time.

 

Almost done. Literally, only a few steps now separated her from her well-deserved freedom. Running into the woods as fast as her legs could carry her, she soon made it into the thicket. The cold greens between her toes felt only a little bit relaxing. Now, she was unseen by anyone, and especially unseen by him. She hoped at least.

 

Her entire body started to tremble, already tasting her victory on her tongue. Or was it fear, or maybe the cold. The book slipped out of her hands and fell next to her feet in the wet grass, damaging the corners a little. Bowing down she quickly found the page again with the magical spell which would free her once and for all.

 

Gathering all her courage and knowledge, she started to chant the words:

 

“Archaía dýnami… archaía d-dýnami...” it was hard to pronounce, so she tried anew: “A-archaía dýnami, iketévo to epídomá...” In the end, it took several tries and a lot of practice for her to pronounce all the words right and in one piece.

 

The time she had wasted made her feel anxious. Hopefully, he hadn’t noticed her absence yet. Starting to spell it out once more, it finally worked out:

 

“Archaía dýnami, iketévo to epídomá sas na anoíxo tin pýli kai na me afíso na páo na páo ekeí ópou o ánthropos periplaniétai.” (Ancient power, I beg your allowance to open the gate and letting me step over to where humans wander.)

For a few moments, nothing happened. Where did she go wrong? Disappointed, she lowered her gaze and was already about to go back to the castle. But her legs didn’t let her, and she stayed there, paralyzed, quivering. Maybe all of this was a foolish plan anyways. How could she even dare to think to escape the claws of a magical beast?

 

Pathetic. Losing her sanity more and more, she wanted to laugh at herself. All this effort, all this work, all these emotions she had put in were for nothing. Then the impossible happened. In front of her, a gate ripped open. A blue glowing portal. It had worked. She couldn’t believe her eyes.

 

Just another second of doubt as her fingers came close to touch the surface of the energetic whirl which had appeared out of thin air. The tip of her fingers felt electrified. Now or never. The door to freedom, her exit. It was there. Taking the leap of fate, she let herself be swallowed up by the supernatural sphere.

 

Where she just stood was now nothing. She had made it; she had stepped over to the other side. Her escape was successful. But not undetected.

 

The second she had vanished from this dimension, he was informed about it. Their bond activated and called for him to act. Such inconvenient timing; right when he was in the middle of his research, inside his messy working room.

 

Countless times he had cursed about himself the past few hours. Blaming himself for this failure over and over again. Where did he go wrong during the ceremony? Just because it was his first time, he had messed it up so badly. He couldn’t believe himself.

 

All this debating with himself made him lose focus on what he wanted to solve in the first place: Finding a method to help her contain the aggressive purple thing which had spawned out of her. Whatever it was, not even he could explain it entirely. Mixing in with this emotional cocktail was also the blame for hurting her earlier as well.

 

He shouldn’t have done that; he really shouldn’t have. Right as he was about to hit his fists on the table, the signal of her disappearance from this realm reached him, alarming him and stopping his course of action. Fuck. Shit. Damn.

 

Seriously, he had fucked it up once more. In disbelieve, his eyes wandered from left to right. Rushing out of the building with a different kind of anger, he traced back her energy resources, only to find the soaked book on the ground. Not the slightest fiber of respect in her bones.

 

Igniting his flames of rage, turning it into a wildfire, though only for a fraction of a second before it died down as soon as he figured what she had pulled off. He couldn’t help himself but feel pride swelling in his chest. His student was able to create a space-time portal all by herself.

 

One thing was certain though. He had to go and retrieve her as soon as possible. Otherwise, this would have tremendous consequences for both of them.


	10. Arc 2 Part 5

**Arc 2**

**Part 5**

 

On the other side of the gateway, she stepped out into a seemingly familiar world. Looking around she noticed her native surroundings. This was her hometown, the city she was born and raised in, she was back, finally. A soft sigh of relief brushed over her.

 

Pulling her hood over her face, she advanced forward, outside of the alleyway she had arrived in. But something was off about this world. Everything was tinted in a grayish blue hue and it seemed so awfully quiet and cold in a way too.

 

All the people passing by the bigger main street, shouldn’t they chatter and make noises? But she couldn’t hear anything, just the monotone sound of static. Strange, so very strange. Looking left and right, everyone's faces were blurry and unrecognizable to her.

 

Then some people even walked straight through her like she didn’t exist in the first place. It was also no use trying to catch anyone's attention. Everyone ignored her pleading. Where did she end up now? Seems like she didn’t make it back home safely at all.

 

She let her head sink down in sadness for a bit before she spotted someone who stood out from the crowd. Two people on the other side of the road. They weren’t blurry, but fully, vibrantly visible in the fading sunlight, just how they were supposed to be.

 

A second look and a closer inspection revealed that one of those two was no other than a well-known acquaintance of hers. Her long dark brown hair was flowing with each step she took. But who was this mysterious man who was with her?

 

She was spotted by them as they suddenly stopped on the crosswalk. The man had white feathered wings on his back and tapped on her shoulder as both came to a halt, him floating a little above the ground behind the woman. Then, exchanging a few words with one another, which she couldn’t hear, before the two of them crossed to the road, approaching her quickly.

 

In fear, she already cowered away, fleeing back into the shady small alley which she came from. Whatever they wanted from her, her friend was not allowed to see her like this, at all costs.

 

But the escape was not well planned and ended in failure as she had to stop in a dead end, a tall intimidating wall towering over her. It was too late; right as she turned around, the two of them already stood in her way, blocking any path to freedom.

 

Now that they were so close, she could make out more features of the man walking with the rather small women. Red curly hair, wearing silly looking glasses, and a facial structure which looked awfully recognizable to her.

 

The figure landed on their feet as he came closer all by himself, telling her friend to stay back. The little demon, on the other hand, wanted to avoid confrontation at any costs and turned away, pulling on her cloak nervously. Her hands started to sweat as she fiddled with the fabric, shielding her from their gazes.

 

“Who are you and what are you doing among the humans?” His voice came clearly as he asked her directly. Humans, he said. So this must still be earth. But why did it change so much during her absence? She had only been gone for a few days, or had she?

 

“What do you mean, what am I doing here? I live here. I am going back home.” Keeping her voice down, in a way, she spoke the truth. This was her original home after all. “Nice story, demon.” He spat out. So, he knew of her species and what she truly was. That would surely complicate things even more.

 

His voice sounded really cocky, where had she heard this tune of voice before. Just taking a quick sideways glimpse, golden eyes sparkled behind the glasses and a shiny halo hovered over his red locks.

 

Surely catching her attention and interest. All indicators were there, she must be speaking to an angel.

 

Never had she thought they existed, but here he was. She, a demon and the opposite species of her, opposing her, a heavenly blessed creature, an angel.

 

“I-I am no demon. You must confuse me.” Now the girl in the back became interested in the situation. Her attention peaked as she eavesdropped on the conversation the two magical beings had. Quickly walking up to the man, she put a hand on his shoulder.

 

“Wait a second. This voice. Is she…?” The stranger looked into her eyes thoughtfully before giving her a nod. Then all of sudden he uncovered her, pulling off her cape with just a flick of his hands.

 

All of this happened too fast for her. Stumbling back, almost falling as her shining hair swayed in the wind and her face was exposed in its full glory to them. The cape fluttered away in the breeze, no chance of getting it back, no chance of hiding herself again. Seeing the small girl falling back, the other females’ eyes widened in shock, her mouth opening a tiny gap in surprise, taking in every small detail of her.

 

Immediately after the horned girl landed on her bottom, the human rushed towards her and grabbed her shoulders furiously, no doubt. “You! I have been looking for you for two months now! What has happened to you?” she exclaimed in total irritation.

 

“Hana, I...” the little one stuttered as their eyes met, not being able to explain herself properly. Shame all over her. Her best friend since childhood saw her in this miserable state. “I can explain.” But she couldn’t. “It’s not like it seems, I promise!”

 

The redhead didn’t give them any more time together as he shoved the women away from her gently. “Stay back. She is dangerous. I don’t want you to get hurt.” This angel was protecting her friend, from her. “No, wait! Please!” Her voice broke as she sounded like she was about to cry. How would she ever be able to fix this?

 

She reached out her hand to be able to connect with her companion, only to have it slapped away by the guy again. Such rude behavior, and on top, his touch burned heavily on her skin. That taught her to at least not make a move anymore.

 

This entire situation was a hot mess and she didn’t know how to deal with it in the slightest. “I see you are the one we have been looking for indeed. And things are worse than expected.” Speaking more to himself than directly towards her, and getting lost in his thoughts for the time being.

 

All three of them stayed silent for a little while. She rubbed her arm, which still hurt from his impact on her, but no one was really making a move to advance. His yellowish eyes then darted forwards as he noticed the silver on her hands. Undeniably the symbol of the demons. If she didn’t want to be a demon, he could just slip this thing right off her, or at least he concluded so for himself.

 

He inched closer to her, straight away reaching out for the ring. She, on the other hand, made the mistake of stretching her arm out towards him, as an attempt to protect herself, closing her eyes as well. Not really a thoughtful decision she made there.

Just as he was about to grab the ring, to pull it off her finger, she let out a loud scream of pain. His presence alone hurt her even more and activated the defense mechanism of her magic. The ring itself didn’t like to be separated from the body of its host, it seemed.

 

A shockwave of purple smoke emitted from it, freezing everyone in time the second after. Their colors vanished even more, and they had the appearance of lifeless stone statues now. Only she was able to take a breath in, opening her eyes and observing the situation for herself.

 

What had she done? Was this what her teacher had meant about her dangerous powers? Swallowing heavily, she pulled back her hand and formed a fist against her chest. Her heart beat up to her throat. What a tense situation. But this incident allowed her to take a deep breath, to calm down and sort herself out.

 

Sadly, this was only short lived. Looking around as time started to flow normally again, the first thing she had to hear, right in the moment the magical spell broke was:

 

“Get your filthy hands off of her!”

 

No doubt, that was his voice. Her eyes widened in shock at the realization he had come after her. Now she was in real trouble. Turning her head, she saw him leaping out of a portal above her, grabbing her by her clothes and dragging her away from the angel.

 

“You!” The holy being turned his head, but he was too slow to hold onto the little one and could only follow them with his gaze. “Luciel...” the adult demon hissed at the sight of the redhead. They were so quick to spot and identify one another – stunning.

 

As he landed with her in his arms, he had to kneel down to support and secure her frame, making sure she wouldn’t run off immediately after. And that was exactly what she intended to do, running away. But not a chance, since he held her down on her wrists, strangulating her blood flow as well.

 

“What a coincidence, to meet you of all people,” the voice behind her continued. He didn’t sound angry, but presumptuous. “You know, I could say the same thing about your presence,” Luciel replied to him with a half-cracked smile. Concluding from all of this that they must know each other, but their true connection was still unknown to her.

 

Anyways, she didn’t dare to make any further moves, kind of knowing that any shift of hers might cause this scene to escalate. Everything had happened so fast. Her sight shifted off to the girl standing in the background. Her best friend. This view made her feel sad deep inside of her. How did any of this happen? A sting in her heart. Why was everyone now so deeply involved in this complex act. All the odds were coming out on the worse side of things.

 

Looking back at the man towering in front of Hana, she noticed how his stance had changed in order to protect her now from both of the demons facing them. Meanwhile, the two stronger beings had a staring contest with glaring eyes. They felt like canines opposing each other, ready to strike a move any second.

 

“What’s your deal with her, anyway?” the one on the other side asked.

“Why do you want to know? She’s my Astéri and I can decide her fate however I want.” That didn’t sound good at all. She probably had been right about being nothing but a prisoner to a demon, being completely at his mercy at any given time. She sighed softly so that none of them could hear it.

“None of your business,” he added in total spite. His focus shifted then to look over her. His expression softened a little but not noticeably much. The look of disappointment was prominent in his eyes, that much was certain.

 

“It’s time to go back home,” telling her so, almost like an order. “We shouldn’t discuss this matter here in front of them.” These conditions were indeed unfavorable for the two of them to be able to talk out the problems they were facing right now.

 

Changing his position as he got up to carry her in his arms. “Let’s go. Enough time has been wasted already.” Not holding her as tightly anymore, he started to walk towards the white feathered being.

 

“No!” Immediately beginning to struggle she tried to get away from him. Not holding still for even a second, she pushed him away and tears began to run down her face once more. Anything but that. She never wanted to go back to this dark place. Not with nor without him. Never.

 

Blaring out in deep agony, choking on her own spit and coughing dreadfully. “Enough with that nonsense!” he shouted at her, as he adjusted her posture again. This time throwing her over his shoulder rather unkindly.

 

More coughing as his sharp shoulder bones poked at her soft guts. She bit her lower lip in fear and hit his back multiple times with her fists. What did she even expect to come out of this situation? The result would always be the same, that being; she was ruthlessly inferior.

 

Before it was too late, she looked up, her eyes meeting the ones of the man with the glasses. “Save me! Please!” she begged the angel to rescue her from the fangs of such a beast. Obviously, this fueled his rage even more and he was displeased with her behavior once more. He felt the bitter taste of betrayal lingering on his tongue and the sharp stabbing pain of rejection piercing through his heart, so prominently.

 

How could she even dare to ask an angel to free her? She really had no dignity inside of her. This would only worsen her punishment for all of this, he thought to himself. Throwing out every strategy to take it slow or more lighthearted with her out of the window.

 

His tongue clicked in disgust for her words and entire act she was pulling off. If matters would go his way, he would have loved to yell at her right away. The young man facing the small demon child, on the other hand, had a soft spot for her labor.

 

But even if he wanted to, he couldn’t do anything. Clenching his own hand over his heart, he looked at her pitifully. His hands were tied by the laws he had to obey. The grown-up demon wasn’t wrong earlier. They had made a deal and therefore he was powerless to change anything about it.

 

His lips moved as he wanted to apologize to her. But it was right at this moment his words echoed within her mind. The ring. At least she was able to move her hands. Not wasting any more time, she used them and slipped the ring off herself.

 

He hadn’t noticed until she gathered all her strength and threw it away from her as far as she could. That moment agitated everyone around.

 

With a sharp chinking noise, the ring met the ground and rolled a few meters before it fell over and stopped. The white-haired man turning his head almost in slow motion as he had to witness what just had happened in front of his eyes.

The moment the silver was too far away from her, she lost her consciousness entirely. This operation ended in another disaster for all parties involved.

 

Now the last chain of patience broke within him. His thoughts already finding the worst punishment for her imaginable. Screaming out loud in a voice which shook the bones of the human and the other person, he dashed forwards to collect the ring.

 

“I dare you, if you interfere with her one more time, I will make personally sure you never see the light of day ever again.” Threatening the angel guy with a deathly glare as he passed him. In a way, he didn’t want it to be true that his bonded star did all of this on her own. So, he unconsciously tried to blame the angels for everything.

 

Without any further exchange, he opened a portal and brought her back into his castle, the place she belonged, according to him. There he gave her back the gem for her hand, returning her to the world of the living, or maybe it was the world of the dead since this was the demon realm after all.

 

He had brought her back into her room, letting her fall on the ground without taking much more care. At last, she was awake again and she sat up on the floor, looking up to him with such a frightened expression.

 

All of her body screamed in fear, gasping for air. It would be best if she could crawl away from him like a bug and hide under the bed. But that wasn’t granted to her. He was still so very furious, and if glances could kill her, she would be dead right where she was.

 

Such an icy cold from his aura. He had already figured the perfect retribution for her. A bitter grin flashed over his face, as he crafted a metallic device out of nowhere. As it took shape it reminded her of a handcuff, a very thick and heavy handcuff.

 

Grabbing her arm, he pulled her up abusively, which made her whine out loud. The moment later the bracelet was slammed onto her right wrist, which caused her even more misery. Letting her fall down and curl up in pain he observed her very closely.

 

First, her feathers fell off one by one, until only the bones were left, which turned into ash shortly afterwards. Her teeth started peeking out beneath her lips more than ever before as they cut through her sensitive skin.

 

It was more than clear he had pushed her into another extremely painful bodily transformation. As the pain spread over her body, her smooth skin turned into abrasive red fur. The all so perfect punishment for her.

 

If she wanted to shed the skin of a demon, so be it – turning her into a real monster instead. This change was far from done, as the muscles around her tail strengthen and giving her an animal-like appearance. Her claws becoming exaggerated and even her pointy ears changed into a rather beast like shape.

 

Almost done. Only her horns stayed visibly the same, now only standing out even more in contrast to everything else. Coughing again, she opened her eyes, cowering on the floor like a newborn fetus. Her eyes had changed to a blurry yellow color and her hair faded out into weaker colors too.

A third eye, vibrantly yellow, even opened on her forehead. A present he would give her, to take a sharper look at herself, if she dared to do so. Also, to emphasize that he would have a keen eye on her from now on.

 

This had drained her energy once again. Lastly, two black rings formed around her neck, like a collar one would give their pet, made out of thorny rose vines. Now he had truly turned her into a real monster. She had nothing more to whine about. And that for a good reason. His eyes still glued onto her; she was seeing the sadistic joy in them.

 

Not bringing up any more words she turned away from him, tears building up again, crying silently on the bleak floor she was crawling on. Not even the thick fur could save her from this bitter cold she felt. It was inside her and all around her. Soon huge drops of salty watery body fluids splashed on the ground.

 

Stepping out of the room, he gave her a final warning: “I hope this teaches you a lesson of not running away again.” And betraying him, he told himself in his mind. With that he slammed the door shut and sealed it off with magic, making sure she would not go anywhere at all anymore.


	11. Arc 3 Part 1

**Arc 3**

**Part 1**

 

There she was now, laying on the cold ground. Crying. Crying until there were no tears left to be shed. The salty water dried on her skin and she only sobbed lightly, slowly coming into terms with what just had happened to her.

 

Gathering her strength, she stood up just to be confronted by her reflection in the mirror. Monster. Ugly beast. She wanted to start crying again but being so exhausted from everything, she couldn’t start anew.

 

Instead, her fists hit her image in the cheval glass multiple times. But she was too weak, and the mirror stayed intact despite her efforts to destroy it - to destroy herself. Slowly gliding down on the sleek surface, her claws left little scratch marks on the glass. At least something.

 

There she sat now, on her knees. She was unable to stop pitying herself. Shoving her face in her paws. No, those were hands. She didn’t have paws nor claws. A monster does, and she wasn’t a monster. Trying to convince herself so hard, but the truth was laid out right in front of her eyes. Denying anything was of no use.

 

Barely daring to take another look at herself, emotions of all sort swapped over her, unable to distinguish any of them anymore. A painful cry filled the room; it was earsplitting, high pitched and scratchy.

 

Her strong emotions, paired with the scream of help, even made the glass in front of her vibrate, opening another portal, displaying a different setting from the one she currently found herself in.

 

Immediately, she stopped her yelling as soon as these images became visible to her, like a video record playing on the glossy screen.

 

At first, she recognized herself, but her old self as a human. Then she saw another person accompanying her, laughing. Having mindless fun together with her. Dark brown hair flowing in a light summer breeze, golden eyes sparkling in the warm sun. A smile of pure joy which could melt away anything. It was none other than her best friend. “Hana...”

 

The name slipped out of her mouth as she was lost in thoughts. Tiny tears built up in her eyes again. This is what could have been if she hadn’t decided to go to the spring that day. She remembered clearly. She had played with the thought of visiting her best friend this evening and go for a simple cone of ice cream with her instead.

 

Rubbing away the salty tears with her paw, she took another long glance at this scenario. It filled her with so much regret. How she wished she could undo her past mistakes. How much she just wanted her normal life back.

 

But that was impossible, she had to endure the life she was trapped in now. Living through her wrong decisions and dealing with the aftermath. A soft sob escaped from her as she reached out her arm. Maybe, just maybe, there was a tiny chance she could enter this alternate reality. After all, she remembered his words: She was able to change the timelines themselves.

 

Her claws reached out towards the mirror, touching the surface lightly. It reacted like water and waved, distorting the image. That was it, she would be able to enter the other reality.

 

Just the moment her eyes lit up in happiness, everything shattered right in front of her. A golden piece of paper flew through the mirror, hovering ominously mid-air. Everything had returned to normal, except this damned letter, which had destroyed her only hope.

 

Angrily, she tried to ignore the letter and walked away from it. Sitting on her bed and staring it down; she didn’t want to have anything to do with this after it had ruined her vision. The paper, however, kept on following and appearing not far away from her. It wanted to be read. All this magical crap made her lose her mind once again.

 

Eventually, since it didn’t disappear, in defeat she opened the envelope, taking a closer look at its contents. The writing glowed in the same golden radiance as its packaging. Opening it up burned her skin already. However, her eyes darted over it, and she started reading:

 

‘Hi. First of all, I am well aware that this magically sealed letter is going to hurt you. This is why I'll try to make it short. I'm really sorry, but I can't help you. The laws of my realm prohibit that I interfere with the business of demons. But I can tell you that if you take good care of my brother, he will be good in return. Trust me, he is not as bad as you might think he is. I'm giving you a heads up. Stay strong, I know can. Kind regards, Luciel.’

 

‘Luciel’; the name lingered on her tongue. That was the name her supervisor called the angel. Skipping over the letter again, her eyes got stuck on one word in particular: ‘Brother’. They were brothers, but how? So many questions rose up within her head again. Everything became more complicated the more she got to know.

 

There was not much time to answer those puzzles, as she already heard the lock to her door clicking. Nervously, she shoved the piece of paper in a drawer near her bed. Surely he wouldn’t welcome a letter from this other guy. Just in time, she managed to hide it, right before the door opened and he stepped into her room.

 

“I see you finally calmed down.”

 

Approaching her quickly, he stood beside her bed, inspecting her for a moment. She appeared nervous, as she was flinching away from him. This rose suspicion within him and promptly he jumped into a conclusion.

 

“What are you hiding?”

 

“N-nothing,” she stuttered. Hoping to deceive him enough that he would simply believe her. Lucky for her, he had bigger concerns than anything regarding this matter. A clear and loud sigh rang from him as he backed off, leaning against a wall and crossing his arms. His gaze shifted left and right, looking over the room and then staring back at her, pinning her down with his eyes only. Such a deadly glance.

 

“Anyways, now that you’ve stopped pitying yourself, I have a few questions for you.” This sharp voice she had heard often enough during recent times, and he got to the point instantly. “Why did you behave in such a way?” Silence. She wouldn’t even dare to answer this question. Because in a way she had no reason for it. It was just her instinct to act the way she did.

 

Indeed, it took her a few moments of deep thinking before she could phrase a remotely good reason. “You are scaring me.” Her voice sounding weak, as if she was afraid even right now. But who could blame her? It was simply the truth.

 

He rose his eyebrow, looking as intimidating as ever. He gave another audible exhale to show how annoyed he was. There was a few more seconds of looking into each other's faces before she continued voicing what was worrying her.

 

“It’s everything. This darkness, all those magical demon things, everything!” Gathering more courage and working herself up more and more as she started to count the things which she could think off. “The torture, the way you treat me, this prison you put me in, what you have done to my body!” She was shouting the words by now, but she couldn’t explain it more detailed, being swayed by emotions all over.

 

He interrupted her: “Enough! Shut up! You chose all of this! I asked you time and time again and you always said ‘yes’!” Yelling back at her, spit starting to cover his lips as a sign of his fury, just like a wild animal. Who was the beast now? Though in a way he wasn’t wrong. But, “I said so because I feared for my life!” she replied, her voice sounded shattered again.

 

Both of them needed to take a few breaths as they still stared at each other. They were heated up in their argument. “I… even changed for you, to act more human. I gave you magical abilities, a home you never need to pay for, clothes, an eternal healthy life, a companion who is always with you, lessons, and so on,” he said, countering her argument.

 

Slowly his anger tipped over into disappointment. The two of them were on the verge of tears, both for their very unique reasons. Holding in once more, he decided to finish this conversation. “And this is how you thank me for it?” His eyebrows twitched nervously. His voice was broken and so was his heart.

 

Not wanting to show that weakness, he stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him and leaving her alone again. The bitter taste of rejection, he had to feel it once more.

 

Stomping down the gloomy hallways, he started to blame himself for this mess again. Was it truly his fault? Was it his behavior alone? Those thoughts stung painfully in his chest. It hurt to fight with the person he thought of so highly of and had bonded with.

 

As all those intrusive thoughts swirled in his brain, his steps led him back to his working chamber. Shutting that door forcefully too, almost breaking the rusty wood in the process. His heavy steps strolled upstairs, arriving at his desk.

 

A lot of books and papers were scattered over the table from earlier. He couldn’t bring his latest research to a conclusion. Mad as he was, he shoved everything off, making it crash noisily to the floor. One book landed on top of that pile of garbage, as he would classify it by now.

 

Half open and damaged on some pages because of the fall, but still relatively new. It was a book on human psychology he had bought a few years back in the human realm. One of the pages was buckled in, the heading read: ‘Humans survival instinct – the unbreakable will.’

 

Interesting, maybe only a coincidence, he thought to himself, picking up the book. Originally, he had obtained the book to improve his deception skills on humans, but now it seemed to have a far better use. Sometimes even teachers need to learn a thing or two.

 

Spreading open the book on his desk, he sat down in a wooden chair. It was written in human language, easy to understand. Still, he felt the need to get himself a pair of reading glasses as he liked to wear them purely for cosmetic reasons. It made him look smarter and a bit wicked, and he really liked the feeling of that.

 

Shoving his goggles in place he started to skip over the pages, turning them, trying to find something useful. This helped to calm him down. Focusing and concentrating helped him to work out his anger issues towards her and towards himself.

 

His research from this book alone concluded that humans typically don’t want to die in the first place. In the moment they must face death, their will to survive is the strongest, even enhancing their physical strength. That almost sounded familiar to him. Turning into a demon was just like dying, definitely. Leaning back for a few moments, an idea started to sprout in his mind.

 

Quickly he got up from his chair, picking up a book he had dismissed earlier. It was about different transformation rituals, including the one he had performed on her. Aligning that with what he just had learned about the psychology of the human will to live, he might be able to find an answer to all of these questions. Simultaneously, he also got back on track with his work from earlier. Two birds with one stone.

 

Before, he didn’t consider that possibility, but here it was. Black on white, or maybe gray on beige, since that book was older of age, therefore the printing had faded already. Concluding with the knowledge he just had acquired a few moments prior, it became crystal clear to him: The magic he had given her was repelled by her.

 

This was the reason, her body and the dark magic he infused never truly merged the way it was supposed to happen. Her repulsive nature of not wanting to become a demon, her refusing to use magic, harvesting disbelief in herself that magic even existed and therefore also shoving him away. This was the ultimate reason why his essence, which he had given her, became its own sentient being, apart from her existence. Two living creatures inhabiting one body, fighting for dominance whenever it desired.

 

A little nervous but also a kind of insane laugh slipped through his lips, but this joy was only short lived. On the one hand, he was thrilled. Finally, he had figured out this riddle. But now he stood right ahead of a new problem and it was on him to fix this one as well.

 

Falling back onto his chair, his excitement overshadowed the negative emotion he felt earlier for just a short span of time. But thinking about it, brought them back to some extend instantly. Swallowing resentfully, he stared at the book about the humans again.

 

He now knew why she had behaved this way. And truly, the fault might have been on him. This realization hit him hard, but it also moved something in him – his wanting to change. Clenching his fist a few times and relaxing it immediately after, his fingers traced along the edges of the book. An apology from him was more than advisable.

 

His anger from earlier completely melted away, turning into remorse and guilt the longer he thought about it, which in the end made him cover his face with his palms in shame.

 

There was no time to drown in self-pity now. Moving his hands upwards, he brushed his pinkish and white fringe back. Rather, he had to think on how to make this up to her. The strands of his hair slipped through the gap of his fingers slowly, falling back in place.

 

Surely he had to take his time, considering it and cautiously working step by step. Now tapping his lower lip and adjusting his body, mimicking the great thinkers pose. After a while, he took off his glasses and chewed on the soft ends of the spectacle frame nervously.

 

Eventually, he opened the drawer again to put away his glasses. So far no idea had sparked in his mind, even after carefully thinking about it. But just in this moment, his glance fell upon a few turquoise crystals he had stored in there.

 

Picking them up, rolling them between his fingers, observing. In fact, the metal device he gave her, he hadn’t made from nothing. A few eons prior he was experimenting with torture tools and now he had only to teleport it to her room.

 

Maybe the same cruel idea he had ages ago could help her out now. These stones are for magic containment outside of the user's control, but with some modification, he would be able to direct this control back to the one who wears it.

 

Rubbing his thumb over the rough dense surface a few times some ideas struck him. That’s not even a bad concept. Doing his work silently for a while he tried out different tinctures he had laying around on those gems.

 

Slowly they lost their blueish hue and turned completely white and smooth on top. Holding them up against his desk lamp one after another, he gave those stones another proving and approving look before he decided to secure one on some sort of strings. He was done, that would work, he was sure of it.

 

Again, his narcissism swayed over him, grinning at his new invention. No doubt, after all, he was an extremely educated person, self-taught for the most part. But now was not the time to favor his own ego; he had to get up and apologize to her – and so he did.

 

On his way back to her room, he thought about a fitting way to phrase his words. He arrived at her door, hesitating for a few moments as he clenched his hands around the necklace in his pocket. It took him some more time and a deep breath before he respectfully knocked on the gate to her dorm.

 

No answer from the inside, so he just opened the door silently on his own, already lurking through the tiny gap, searching for her. In the meantime, she hadn’t moved much, still sitting on her bed. But she as well had time to think and self-reflect, drawing her own conclusions and having her own realizations. Both of them had spent their time well.

 

“Listen, I...” The two spoke up at the exact same time, while he let the door fall shut behind him. “You first.” He offered her to speak up her sorrows. Slowly raising her insecure voice: “I’m sorry. I know I misbehaved and...”

 

So much regret in such a tiny, weak individual. His eyes widened and she continued speaking. “You were right, you did a lot for me and I should be more grateful for it. I’m really sorry, I will try to act more appropriately in the future.”

 

His hand began shaking, hearing her apologize all by herself. Not wasting a second, he leaped forwards and embraced her softly, placing his hands on her back. She had apologized first, something he would have never expected.

 

Tears of gratitude formed in his eyes this time. Demons don’t cry. He thought to himself, sobbing. No, demons definitely do not cry. What was that wet substance emerging from his seeing organ? She was no less surprised about his sudden actions and reactions. So kind, so soft, so human.

 

At first, she couldn’t return the hug to him, just staring in the distance over his shoulders, lifting her arms they got stuck midair, paralyzed, not daring to touch him. “It’s alright, I forgive you.” For a few moments, he rubbed her back gently before noticing that she wasn’t embracing him the same way he did.

 

Stepping back a bit perplexed, he deeply gazed into her eyes, tracing his thumb over her cheekbones and lips, while she could only stare back at him. “I got something for you, I hope you like it.” Removing his hand from her, he dug in his pockets, showing the necklace he had made for her.

 

Naturally, her first reaction was to flinch away in fear. What hellish thing did he come up with now? Would it just hurt her again? Torture her? Cautiously raising her arms to protect herself, she looked away, shivering. But this time there was no need for it.

 

“Don’t worry. It’s my apology to you. I realized some things and I would like to say that I am sorry as well.” He carefully reached out for her arms, pulling away the one which wore the heavy bracelet. She couldn’t believe her eyes nor her ears. What was he doing there? Just like that, he broke the metal apart, ripping it open and giving her wrist freedom.

 

The clunky heavy tool fell on the ground next to her bed, no longer glowing so dangerously. The curse was lifted. She looked forth and back for a few moments in total disbelief. What just had happened? She already had changed back to how she looked before.

 

No more red fur, no more beast-like paws, no more third eye on her forehead. Still, she looked like a demon, but way less like a monster. Breaking this spell didn’t even hurt, it only surprised her. She let out a tiny gasp.

 

Well, but with that not enough. Given that her neck was free now as well, he used the opportunity just right to place the necklace around her. “I hope you can accept this as an apology and as a gift from me.” Locking on the strings with the gem on her with a simple click behind her back, her body changed again. The horns just disappeared and several other features with it.

 

Finally, a present worth giving, something which would benefit her. After a painless transformation the only signs that she was anything else than human were her slightly pointy ears, the now way smaller fangs, and some of the black spots left on her body, including the nails. With those minor changes she could somehow live; her eyes, however, kept their greenish hue. Other than that, the demonic appearance had almost fully vanished.

 

“And how do you like it?” He questioned her; his voice had a caring sound to it. It was the best result he could give her for now. After all, it was just a quick experiment rather than deep, long-term research. Immediately after reviewing her change, she jumped at him to repay the hug he gave her earlier.

 

Now the two of them wrapped their arms around each other, sobbing while overflowing with joy. She buried her face deep in his chest while he placed his hands safely on her back, wandering to her hips shortly, securing her lovingly. The smell of his shirt was calming to her in this moment and there was a certain kind of serenity to this scene.

 

He had done it. The first step to bettering himself. And she had accepted his apology. He knew so, no words necessary. Now the two of them had to work on themselves further, to actually make this relationship work in the future. A simple apology was nothing more than manipulation without a change of behavior.

 

After a while, he explained to her how this magical instrument would work in this specific case. It regulates the flow of magic through her body. However, it wasn’t doing the work of merging together her body and the essence. But at least it was keeping everything under control, that this monstrous purple creature wouldn’t break out anymore.

 

The more she would allow to let the magic seep into her body, the better she could maintain her human-like appearance. Indicating this wasn’t the full result of how she could look like in theory yet. It would require effort from her too, and acceptance for a lot of demonic things, to actually achieve this goal.

 

But for now, she deserved to rest up from this entire stressful experience. They had gone through a lot in recent times. Picking up on something he should do more often in the near future, he offered to massage her back once more. It would help her wing muscles to relax properly the more often he did it.

 

After all, he was still her teacher and he wanted to support her becoming a well-able demon one day.

 


	12. Arc 3 Part 2

**Arc 3**

**Part 2**

 

Staying with her the entire time until she had regained some energy, he stood up. So far, he hadn’t shown her everything this castle had to offer and maybe it was time to change that. “How about we take a bath together?” he suggested.

 

At first, that seemed odd to her, but a bath sounded good. It would help to smooth out the atmosphere around them, so she agreed and hopped off the bed, taking his hand quickly.

 

Leading her out of the room, he walked downstairs this time, moving around a few corners before they stopped at a plain looking entry. Turning the doorknob, he shoved open the door.

 

What laid behind it wasn’t what she had in mind when he said ‘bath’ earlier. This was an entire indoor swimming pool. The water silently wavered around with a strong green hue, steam covering the surface and large parts of the hall, the smell of nature hung in the air.

 

He didn’t waste time and was already undressing, letting his clothes fall to the ground carelessly. The floor felt like marble beneath her toes, multi-colored yet dark stones organized in mosaic patterns adorned it. This beauty held her so captivated that she didn’t even notice the man beside her was stripped naked as of now.

 

Only him jumping into the water and splashing some of the liquid on her made her snap out of admiring the room for its artistry. Her small sparkly eyes darted forwards and she saw him enjoying the water, inviting her to join as well.

 

Being still insecure, she didn’t know if she could just undress herself fully while he was gazing at her. Therefore, she took it slow, first the white top, which soon joined his clothes. The necklace fell upon her naked chest. Surely she would keep it on, hoping it would be water resistant. At last, she took off her short pants. Now she was completely undressed and especially vulnerable too.

 

“The water is energized with different herbs; it will feel good,” he assured her, encouraging her to step into the water. Inching closer she decided to only sit on the floor at first, letting her legs from the knee down dangle into the fluid. Well, he wasn’t wrong, it was a pleasant sensation. Though the floor still felt rocky, cold and uncomfortable to sit on for long.

 

Eventually, she let her body slide into the bath fully, the waves surrounding her, gently caressing her skin around the lower chest. This wet substance felt relaxing, revitalizing; honestly, she wouldn’t have expected that strong of an impact. He, on the other hand, already made his way to a corner at the other side of the pool.

 

Her legs floated over the decently deep lagoon, only dipping deeper into the unknown waters to catch up to him. As she approached him, she noticed something she had never seen before. His right shoulder was covered in mysterious black symbols.

 

A tattoo? Or maybe the same marks she had inherited from him? Her fixation laid upon his arm as she was still coming closer. She could make out an eye symbol on the very top, the rest was undefinable gibberish to her. Maybe that was some sort of compass in the middle, she tried to conclude.

 

Even though it didn’t look like much, it was a very abstract one to say to least. But that was about as much as she could identify, though of course there was more. The thoughts of questioning the meaning of the tattoo lingered in her mind.

 

Before she could mention it, she was already close enough to him that he could grab her wrist and pull her in closer. The niche he selected had a rise above the floor, the perfect opportunity to take a seat. She had seen these seats in other swimming halls in the human world before, so it was no big surprise to her that his indoor pool had something like this as well.

 

The water made it easy to pull her onto his lap, and their naked bodies touched – bare skin on bare skin. As their legs collided like this, it made her feel suddenly uneasy. After all she had been through, she really wasn’t comfortable enough nor ready for this much intimacy with him.

 

Sure, they had sex before, but that was a rather mindless thing, she thought. Their contact now, in context, held much more meaning this time. Nervously sliding her legs and hips over his lap, she wanted to get some distance from him, but he held her close with a strong grip, so this was impossible. That much she had learned already.

 

Suddenly, some faint moonlight lit up the room. His grasp around her waist tightened and wandered up her back continuously. Again, he did what he had done twice before already; he massaged her back. He was eager to make her learn how to fly. In his mental schedule, it was set in stone that knowing how one must use their wings should be one of the most essential things a demon should learn, so it made sense why he did this so often.

 

The golden glimmer illuminated the chamber some more, sparkling upon the water’s surface, through a giant window, reaching from the ground up to the ceiling at the opposite side of the hall. Dark window frames gave the reflection a certain pattern of prison bars.

 

This time it seemed he wanted to do more and interrupted his actions on her shoulder blades. His long fangs sparkling sinisterly in the dark while his fingertips traced circles along her neck; unknown to her, he pointed at her demonic mark right there.

 

Without any warning, he went in for a rough kiss. Pressing his lips forcefully on hers, it greatly surprised her. Her eyes sprung wide open as she couldn’t process this for a moment. This was exactly what she was trying to stay away from for now. He was simply proceeding with their relationship too fast for her.

 

His fangs pierced through his tongue, making it bleed on purpose, the red fluid of his mixing with their saliva as he shoved open her lips against her struggling will.

 

“Hng!” she exclaimed with a dull noise, trying to fight it. Right now, all she wanted was to push him away and get some distance. But, as with all the times before, there was no escape. He pushed her to go further and further instead. All she could do was ignoring his pleading for affection. Unluckily for her, it only made him more eager to get what he wanted.

 

As soon as he managed to catch her tongue between his teeth, he also stung through her soft organ, with his sharp fangs, making her bleed in exchange as well.

 

This was too much, and she flinched away in pain. It wasn’t that agonizing on a physical level, but it was certainly stressful on a mental one. Finally, he pulled back to ask what was actually up. “What is it, my Star? This is just simple demon-play, don’t you enjoy it?” He really had the nerve to ask her this? The answer was so obvious: Of course she didn’t enjoy it one bit.

 

It seemed that, after all, he was nothing but a demon and a male one on top; most guys she got to know through the course of her life didn’t quite catch any of her emotional responses, nor could they take a hint. It was also considered a miracle if one of them accepted a ‘no’. So why should a demon catch a glimpse of her true intentions and feelings? He was such a hopeless case.

 

Before she could even manage to state her opinion on what he just did to her, he misunderstood her silence to excuse himself with a witty smirk on his lips: “Aw, come one, life is sin after all.” His hands stayed on her neck, this time hovering above the seal of the necklace, as though he was ready to take it from her. “And to get the most pleasure out of the life we live, one should sin as much as possible. You are a sinful entity already, so if you give in to the sweet temptation once or a thousand times, it doesn’t matter anymore. In the end, what’s the difference?”

 

In a way, he had a point. But this didn’t make it any less mentally draining for her, trying to restrain him for her own safety. He was too blunt, disrespectful and pushy. In the back, the radiant glow of the golden moon only got stronger as the celestial body wandered towards the center of the glass.

 

“Now let’s have some more fun.” Still not even slowing down the slightest. He wanted it; she could feel it between her legs as a certain body part of his body started to get harder. His limb erecting against her crotch, pushing through her thighs, only caused a nervous shift in her, to be able to slip off his lap. Not right now, she thought to herself, clearly denying his request for sexual intercourse in such a sweaty situation.

 

The moon stood on the horizon in its full glory, shining strongly through the entirety of the hall, the new lighting caused the two of them to appear merely as silhouettes, their bodies peeking out above the water level. The process of anything which just had happened had been so slow, she almost hadn’t noticed it as it put the entire room in a completely different light, literally.

 

His fingers snapped off the round gem away from her neck, which fell into the water silently, sinking all the way to the ground of the pool. Immediately, her dark wings sprung out of her back, unfolding in their full glory. Only some loose feathers floated down and touched the surface of the water. It didn’t take any longer for her other demonic features to be present. For him, a flawless victory. For her, a horrible scenario.

 

Panic rose within her. Enough is enough. Every opportunity to get away from him was now taken by her. Shoving herself off, further back in the water she could make it out of his beastly constraint.

 

“No, stop it!” Maybe he would finally understand, but it didn’t look like it. Perplexed, he stared at her in disbelief for just a bit longer as he got up again, trying to get her back into his arms. Again, she managed to escape. Surely she wouldn’t let him catch her again.

 

A fierce sting in his heart finally told him what was going on. That’s at least what he thought. “Is that so…” The green hue in his eyes darkened significantly and he stared down into the shallow waters. His body no longer emitted that he was ready to have sex, but now that he was disappointed and hurt.

 

Even he saw it, that there was no use pursuing her any more for now. Without wasting any words on her, he hauled himself over the edge of the tub to get out, shaking himself dry, ready to get dressed and leave her behind all alone in the huge bathroom. If she wanted to be around him, she surely would be able to take care of that for herself.

 

“Where are you going?” “Away.”

Such a cold and harsh one-word answer. But that wasn’t exactly what she intended. She wanted to talk about this issue, but it took a lot of bravery and courage from the bottom of her heart to speak up again. Meanwhile, he started to get dressed.

 

“Listen, it’s just...” Trying to make a pathetic start, to explain her true feelings. “I’m a human.”

That statement hit him so hard it was difficult to swallow, his dull eyes, filled with regret, caught a glimpse of her standing up in the water all by herself. In a way, she looked like a little animal struggling to keep its head above the surface. Her heavy breathing gave it away. Disappointment hit him like a flash and shivered through the entirety of his body, hearing his Star speaking out such cruel words.

 

“You are not. You are a demon.” Exposing her lie. What he didn’t know, or didn’t want to know, was that inside she was still very much human. No horns, no wings, no fangs, or anything else he did to her could change that. She tried not to mind his correction as she continued talking: “This is all just so alienating. I am not familiar with any of these things. They make me feel upset. I just want to be treated more like a human being.” Begging for him to accept her concern.

 

Fixing his collar almost angrily now. That was certainly not the face of mutual acceptance. “You came to this world. You decided to become a demon. Now conform to our rules and behavior.” He fell back into his old scheme of just pushing through whatever he wanted. Recovery, change of behavior and apologies take a long time to be put into action. Not everything was smooth sailing from the moment one person said ‘sorry’.

 

“I don’t want to be a demon! I want to be as human as possible because I am still one!” Insisting on her world view, she was suddenly shouting back at him. Once more they infuriated each other. Strong anxiety, mixing with the denial of her magical side.

 

The outcome of this situation reminded them of the last time it happened. Purple smoke started to form around her hands, emitting from the silver on her finger.

 

No, not this time. She noticed what was happening instantly. Before it would take over her again, she simply slipped off the ring and threw it his direction, the dark essence following the silver, not inheriting her body any longer. Even though she had aimed for the floor next to his shoes, he reacted so swiftly and caught the jewelry between his index- and middle-finger, before it could hit the ground.

 

The glare he expressed right now could kill anyone. Not once but twice she had dared to reject him. Throwing away the gift he had given to her. That, of course, didn’t sit well with him at all. To his surprise, she was still standing. It must be just the vitalization of the energetic water, which kept her body alive. But he knew not for long.

 

There was still enough time to speak out a dangerous threat: “If you are against being one of my kind so much, you surely wouldn’t mind if I just destroy the ring.” Both knew it would result in her certain death if he would do so.

 

Her time was up now, the last magic which kept her body stable had vanished and she lost consciousness. The sight of her drowning ever so slowly in the water still moved something in him. The person dying there was his bonded one, after all.

 

It was out of the question that he jumped into the pool, even fully clothed, to rescue her. Maybe he was only bluffing earlier. How could his anger melt away at the sight of any danger arising? Would he truly be able to kill her one day, even if he was so infuriated?

 

It hurt. It hurt so much. It was painful to breathe for him. His clothes were soaking wet as he dragged her naked body out of the water. Her wings dripping over the floor felt heavy with all this liquid in them. This lump of organic flesh, what was she even? A demon, a human, his Astéri, just a random girl? A mistake or his fortune?

 

By now the moon had finished its lap and the room was overshadowed by pitch black darkness, as well as painful, cold silence.

 

“Please, never do this again.” Speaking to her unconscious body, well aware she couldn’t hear him as he laid her down on the floor, placing the ring back on her hand. He wanted her to survive. But why?

 

There was no defined answer for now. Some questions just need a lot of time to be answered, or might never be answered at all. Wistfully, he picked her up, carrying her back to her room. Maybe all she needed was to rest some more. Her words had impacted on him deeply and something was itching in him to take action.

 

With a heavy, mournful sigh, he took a brief look at her from top to bottom. Her body just laying there so lifelessly, not an unfamiliar sight by now. Is that what he really wanted, a puppet which would just do whatever he desired? It was hard for him to decide and his inner struggles grew stronger once more. Maybe, in the end, he was wrong all along.

 

Fear, resentment, change. He had to take his time, a lot of it, in fact, to think this through. And especially his self-doubts needed hard work to overcome, working through them in a healthy way. Only then change is possible and an apology becomes sincere.

 


	13. Arc 3 Part 3

**Arc 3**

**Part 3**

 

It was time to sit down and seriously change something. Things couldn’t continue this way. Everything would just keep on circling and continue without ever breaking the loop. Luckily for him, she was still asleep in her room. This gave him the opportunity to put his thoughts into motion and work out what was bothering him so much.

 

Full of concern, he sat down in his working room again, hovering over the pages of the psychology book. At first, he was blankly staring at the pages, hoping the book would reveal its secrets to him just like that. But that was, of course, just a silly thought.

 

He then placed his fists on either side of it, applying a rather strong force, and still he was waiting, but obviously, nothing happened again. The reason for this actionless behavior wasn’t that he was stupid in any way; instead, it was because he was so stubborn and had to think a lot before he could actually get down to work on the problem itself.

 

With a soft exhale, his fingers turned the pages. This time those letters didn’t seem to be helpful. Skipping through almost all of the book, his head became heavy and he let it rest on his hand, just barely reading anything anymore.

 

It tired him out and bored him to death, if he hadn’t been among them already. In the end, he closed the book, full of frustration. Sometimes knowledge acquired from written paper can’t help us, we have to think for ourselves and figure a creative solution on our own, to solve the problems we’re facing. This is where true intelligence lies.

 

In his head he was reviewing the words she spat out towards him in the bathroom. How she wanted to be treated like a human, even though she was clearly a demon to him. Within all those ringing sounds in his mind there was also her begging, suffocating voice; screaming to be heard and understood.

 

Not once, but twice he had upset her now. Was this what he truly wanted to be for his bonded Star? He had already shown human-like traits to her prior – would a little bit more humanity really be so bad? His fingers were tapping thoughtfully on the wooden plate, then on his bottom lip.

 

Humanity. Humans. Such strange creatures, he thought to himself. But not unfamiliar. Maybe they weren’t so different in the end. Most demons were born as humans in the first place, before ascending to their afterlife. Yet all of those he had met this far behaved like being a creature of pure darkness and malevolence was the most natural thing they had ever encountered.

 

This is what truly differentiates devils and demons in this realm. The devils never knew of a simple and plain life on earth. He called himself a demon, despite never experiencing a mortal lifetime. But he has seen emotions and how they work, what they communicate and what they can achieve. Deep inside his heart, he has already truly felt them.

 

His mind became stuck on the topic of communication in particular. After all, she had articulated herself on what she desired. If he would do the same, I could have a positive effect on her in the long run. Talking, speaking; usually, he was good with words. She wasn’t the first human he had deceived.

 

That would be it – it’s just like deception, except it would be genuine instead. The way he speaks to her must be of her liking; it must get to her deeply. So far, he never had the urge to lie to her, to convince her of things, since he wanted to be honest to the person he had chosen – or better said, fate had chosen for him.

 

But thinking about it this way, he could still be honest and probably flatter her at the same time. This way of thinking finally opened up all the locked gates in his mind and he was able to think freely. With a clear goal in mind now, he could work out the obstacles he was facing.

 

Meanwhile, she had woken up in her room and it didn’t take long for him to make his way towards her dorm to tell her about his newest enlightenment. As he opened the door slowly, she sat on her soft bed, knees close to her body, her arms tightened around her legs, just staring at her feet in silence.

 

“Uh, hello again. I see you are awake. It’s me.” He started his attempt at talking to her with a gentle voice. She didn’t look at him, instead keeping her gaze upon the mattress in front of her. “I want to show you something, will you come with me?” He still stood halfway in the door frame as this question came over his lips.

 

Skeptical and sulkily at first, she finally turned towards him. Sometimes you have to give people the benefit of the doubt. Wordlessly she got up and approached him. Her steps were determined and strong-willed. She had changed in such a short amount of time. Fear slowly became unknown to her, knowing where she stood now.

 

Without further explanation, he let the door fall into the lock behind them and walked next to her to a room in this castle which held very special meaning to him.

 

Shortly after their silent journey, they arrived. It was another sealed door he needed his tool to open. Nothing else about it looked special to her.

 

Behind the gate was a dark room which changed immediately as they set foot into it. Like a soft spring breeze grass with white flowers sprinkled here and there covering the ground. She knew their name since she had seen those before: Lily of the Valley.

 

A blue sky full of sunshine, the sound of birds and the smell of nature. This room was an endless plain, reflecting the human world how she remembered it. 

 

Amazing! Now it did seem like an extraordinary chamber. Her eyes lit up in joy as she tried to take in the sheer size of this room. It was stunning. And for a moment she even thought this could all be real.

 

“What is that?” she asked, still completely shocked by what had unfolded in front of her own eyes. Her guesses went towards some magical trick or hallucination.

 

“Well, it is a bit hard to explain, but as you can see it’s not really an ordinary room. It can create any terrain you’d like to see. But it’s not entirely real,” he explained to her. “And why did you bring me here?” The questions she asked kept on poking him.

 

“I thought this would be a good place to talk things out.” Already applying what he had learned. “Please sit down.” A good step forward for both of them.

 

So she did, and he sat right next to her. The entrance to the room vanished, making the illusion of a normal green field on earth complete. He stated that this wasn’t anyhow real, but it felt just like it. Even the grass under her feet felt wet and alive. It was a perfect deception.

 

The realization of that felt kind of sad as she brushed off the fresh dew from the blade of grass with the tip of her fingers.

 

“So, what do you want to talk about?” Initiating the conversation, even though she knew exactly what this was all about. Her gaze wandered over the horizon, seeing small green hills in the distance, before looking at him.

 

“I think, I should start by explaining myself.” His gaze shifted, watching the sky as he watched white fluffy clouds floating by. Such a view calms everyone down, regardless of demon or human. “I wasn’t always like this. A demon.”

 

A soft breath of air rustled through leaves of distant trees. Silence. Not always been like this? “Are you saying you were human once?” The sunlight, reflecting with a yellowish hue on the water drops, giving warmth and comfort to the people sitting there – talking.

 

“Not quite,” he replied. “To be more precise, I was born as a fallen angel.” A what now? This far she had only heard of angels and demons, maybe a bit of devils and demigods, but that’s about it. What does it mean to be a fallen angel, in this context? “You’ve got some explaining to do about that,” she quickly stated.

 

“My mother was an angel once, but not really a pure and holy one. The demon realm has always fascinated her. I already told you, creatures of the opposite sphere should not wander around here. There are reasons for that, you know?” He chuckled as he looked over his shoulder, facing her, then quickly staring back blankly, fixating a faraway point in the distance.

 

This ‘talking things out’ thing was going better than he thought it would. Meanwhile, she pulled her legs closer on her body, just watching the grass following along with the breeze. Mumbling, deep thoughts in a tranquil trance-like state: “I could only imagine...”

 

Seems like he didn’t hear her and just continued telling her about his past: “And this is how she met my father. A devil named ‘The Raven’, later known as ‘Pride’. He was very influential, dwelling among the higher-ups already back then.” A brief pause, before he added: “Could you even imagine a devil and an angel ending up with each other? Two completely different beings, but still, it somehow happened.”

 

That was almost comedic, but his hands clenched down in the dirt, digging up some of it with his dark claws. His body language spoke for itself, contrasting his words heavily. Something was clearly disturbing him. Her eyes focused solely on him; she had to pay attention to his gestures again. In a way, she couldn’t trust him fully yet, despite the fact that he started to open up towards her.

 

“I don’t think I have to tell you about the birds and bees, since it works differently around here. They both decided they want a child and with the magic of such a strong united will she was able to birth twins.”

 

“You and your brother, I suppose?” Suggesting so, collecting and reactivating her knowledge from what she read in Luciel’s letter not too long ago. He nodded but also seemed surprised. Moving up his hand to his lips, assuming his typical thinking position.

 

“How did you know?” That question scared her a little. The message she got from the angel should have stayed a secret between them, after all. With a hint of panic, she lied her way out of the situation: “I just guessed, because this other guy had such a similar face to yours.” For now, he let that pass as an excuse.

 

“Very well.” He sighed deeply. “But how did you end up here and your brother as an angel?” An important investigation from her side. His hands wandered down again, supporting his body weight on the soft floor beneath them.

 

“You seem interested in what I have to tell. So, let’s continue. As I already mentioned, my brother and I were both born as fallen angels.” Again, ‘fallen angels’, what are those creatures? “My mother hoped to save at least one of us from the cruel rules of the demon realm. In secret, she gave away Luciel, to an angel named ‘Charity’.” His expression became somber. Deep down he had always wished that he would have been the one growing up within the heavenly realm. He would have been spared from so much pain and suffering if that would have been the case.

 

“The angels accepted him as one of them. Without even asking questions, they cleansed him and, very easily, he just became part of their society. What happened then, I don’t know. I haven’t seen him in eons. It was the first time in ages when I saw him in the city. And trust me, that was a really unpleasant surprise for me.” That was only half of the story; she was honestly more curious about his fate. “And what happened to you?”

 

Looking over to her, staring into her turquoise eyes for a while before he found the courage to go on about it. “My father was obviously furious about my mother's doings. Giving away one of his own children. So, he demanded that she and I stay with him, down here, with the other demons.”

 

That decision sounded so harsh and she noticed how much that was pressuring on him, as his voice was so full of regret and grief, it was so unbearable to listen to such a tragic story.

 

“Naturally, to stay alive around here, my father decided to turn me into a demon and raise me as one. My mother became a prisoner and the dark realm tainted her wings and soul, following in my footsteps on how I was born and eventually becoming a fallen angel.”

 

“What is a fallen angel?” Finally popping the question she had lingering in her mind the entire time. “Well, simply put, it’s either demons trying to become angels or angels falling down and becoming demons. They are not human, obviously, but a mix between our two races.” Hoping that would explain her question. Due to his story, she had already heard how they usually come to live.

 

“Aha,” she replied shortly. “Please continue, I am intrigued.”

 

So, he wrapped up his tale: “My father's crimes were never detected due to his high position in this world.” He looked away again, lowering his head ever so slightly so that his fringe fell upon his forehead, darkening the area around his eyes. That must have been such an uncomfortable situation for the two of them.

 

His voice was only a tiny bit louder than the wind blowing around them. Clouds started to cover the sun, as he finished this great speech: “The last ever crime my father committed was to drive my mother away. She locked herself up in this very room we are in right now. She eventually decided to end her own life rather than continue suffering under my father's tyranny.”

 

Things started to make a little sense to her finally. This retelling of his past changed a lot of her own thought process. Recalling some memories, for example about the instrument he played for her when they first met and now realizing under what circumstances he must have grown up. He was a cursed individual, living a life he had never chosen to live in the first place.

 

And now here they were, silently suffering next to each other. Laying down her head on her knees she looked over to him, barely daring to speak at first, then slowly approaching him: “I’m really sorry to hear that. It must have been horrible for you.” He must have been through so much pain, it was truly unimaginable for her. And now her own worries seemed so very small compared to that.

 

In a way, she started to feel extremely selfish, guilty for behaving like a bratty child before. Seriously, she should really get herself together and treat him with more respect and care. His brother seemed to be right after all; he is not the bad guy. Not like he seemed at first, at least.

 

He only hummed in agreement, then nodded, turning mute himself for a while. Time stood still in this very moment. They had nothing more to say to each other for now. Silently sitting next to each other and thinking deeply about what just took place was all they could do.

 

But his plan was successful. He stepped closer to his own set goal of becoming more understandable towards her. Mutual understanding and respect would take its time, but the first fundamental ground was hereby solid. From now on, it could only get better for the two of them.

 


	14. Arc 3 Part 4

**Arc 3**

**Part 4**

 

After their brief talk, uncovering the secrets of the past and speaking out their hearts, things started to return to a normal flow. Some time of silence needed to pass, but they were able to advance from that point on, working on themselves and figuring out their thoughts.

 

The moons had circled only a tiny fraction further on the firmament. The older demon, being a tutor after all, had to pick up on her education again. It had been delayed enough already, due to the issues they had to fight through.

 

He was glad their phase of constant battling with one another was over, and they slowly started to get along better. Reinforcing their relationship and getting on a level of communication which was acceptable for both sides.

 

“I want you to complete your training in about six lunar circles. That is one human year. We are already quite late with some lessons. I don’t want to ask too much of you, but I think we have to tighten things up a little.” Proclaiming so, to make things transparent for her on what awaited her in the near future.

 

Her head perked up, hearing him talk. Both of them were in the same room; he walking downstairs and she further in the back, resting on the cushioned floor which had been repaired by now.

 

Well, he wasn’t wrong, it’s been quite a while since they last studied together. Obviously, she had to prepare mentally for a much more compact and sophisticated studying unit. “Yes, I understand.”

 

With these words she got herself up and walked up to meet with him, while he patiently waited in the small bookshelf hallway which connected the main part of his working space with the tiny niche she was in. His gaze fell upon the ring immediately. Good, she was still wearing it on her finger, as it should be. But what worried him that even though some time had passed, she was still unable to regulate her magic.

 

By now, she was able to accept the presence of magic itself, but she was far from actually being able to manage it properly. This was the content of the lesson he wished to work on today. “I prepared something, please follow me.” Only saying that, he invited her to join him on a little walk.

 

Curious about what it was, she looked up with a questioning expression. His only reaction was to say that she’d see soon enough, charmingly smiling it off.

 

Shortly after, they entered a small den containing a single large bucket right in the middle of it. The room was poorly lit, smelled moldy, and had all kinds of fluids dripping down the stone walls; just like so many other rooms in this castle. Slowly she began to question if he ever cleaned those rooms or if they just rotted away like forgotten dungeon cells.

 

“Fire. The element of demons. You might have heard of it already. It’s one of the most natural things to us.” Already starting his lesson, chuckling lightheartedly. Before he continued, he let the room slowly light up so that she was able to see more. “You might have read in the bible about purgatory or the infinite flames of hell in which sinners will burn for all eternity.”

 

As her eyes were exposed to more light, she took in the details of the room. It was really nothing special. Just a forgotten, foul room with an old wooden tub in the middle. Something was brewing in it; some kind of thick fluid. Bubbles appeared on the surface, popping into smelly steam.

 

“Well, it’s not quite like this,” he said, urging her to advance towards the tub in the middle of the room. Upon taking a closer look she saw some kind of black water. Bubbling, hot, steamy. It smelled gross up close. So gross, in fact, that she had to close off her nostrils with her fingers. That smell was so awful it stung and brought tears to her eyes. She had to restrain herself so as not to vomit right into that bucket.

 

“Non-purified dragon blood, my Star,” was the explanation he gave. She turned her head and looked at him, making it as obvious as possible that she would like to be anywhere but here in this room. Her body did not take it well, being exposed to such… whatever that was.

 

He, on the other hand, did not pick up the hints and just did as he would anyways do; proceeding with a highly questionable action. With all his clothes on his body, he stepped into the muddy black liquid without even batting an eye, turning to see how she would feel about that. “What are you waiting for? Come here.”

 

He really wanted her to join him, wandering through this smelly pile of shit, basically. But it was futile to resist, as always. Reluctantly, she gathered herself and took the step of fate. First one foot, then the other. Legs, up to the knee, were covered in slimy seething broth. Disgusting. So disgusting.

 

That’s all she could think about right now. That situation she found herself in needed a second review later. Unknown to her, the magical mixture around already started to affect her, as she could feel it seeping into her, right through her skin which was exposed to it. “Ah?! What the-?!” Immediately shouting, feeling a certain kind of tickling all over her legs that made her panic within an instant, her pulse racing and her breathing shallow. She gasped a few times, yet she wanted to calm down and work with that. Work that out.

 

“Dragon blood greatly enhances our abilities. It’s the most effective when you ingest it orally.” Did he really just suggest that it’d be the best to drink this? He was nuts, completely nuts, no doubt about that anymore. However, his statement made him earn an annoyed glance from her, accompanied by growling from deep within her throat.

 

Her throat, this smell, it hurt right there. Scratchy. She had to cough a few times and even sneeze. This surely would need time to get used to it. Never in a million years would she even think about drinking this. It looked toxic enough like this already.

 

For now, there was not much time to judge him. The feeling in her skin became overwhelming the more moments passed. Her physical form felt like bursting apart at any moment. Her veins pumped so much blood through all of her body and it became even harder to breathe. Her lungs felt as though they were suffocating her under this much pressure. It felt like tons were weighing down on her body, squeezing her from all sides.

 

“This is an exercise to contain the right amount of magic in your body. Not overflowing, but also not pumping out too much. Concentrate on the inner circulation of yours and manage the way it flows through all your blood vessels.”

 

Easier said than done. With that intrusive smell in her nose and the weird feeling throughout her entire body, concentrating was almost impossible. In the first place, she had to concentrate on not dying, not being compressed by her very own system.

 

First of all, she learned that breathing slowly, deeply in and out, would relieve pain. She managed to do that after a short while. Still, her skin felt like it would rip open any moment, chiefly around her lower leg area. The part which was exposed and soaked in the blood. Her heart was still pounding faster than hours of physical education would ever do to her. She could barely hold herself upright, knees getting weak and at last causing her to slide down into the muddy pot.

 

Great, now she was covered in that sticky stuff from head to toe, which didn’t make her situation any better. Offering his hand, he reached out and helped her to get back up again. The liquid dripping off her slowly, back into the bucket.

 

Any moment now, she would just puke, probably in the dirty sea in front of her. As if that would make any difference to the already unbearable mixture anyways. The smell, lingering and infesting itself on her tongue as a taste now, was simply too offensive to take any longer.

 

“I see you are having trouble to find your inner circle.” He interrupted her inner rambling about the circumstances she found herself in. Amazing time to lecture her. She rolled her eyes which, luckily for her, he did not take note of. “Instead, let’s try to just release the energy. How about that?” This time, his suggestion wasn’t as bad as the last one. Even she agreed with it. Continuing his class in his typical teacher manner: “I’ve told you about the demonic fire for a reason. Us demons can wield fire magic rather easily. To oppose the magic of angels, who work with holy water.”

 

Seemed like another history lesson, but yes, she has heard of that. Holy water was a common thing in every church, she had ever seen in her life. “Coming in touch with the other element can be devastating for us and for them. In small doses, it leaves burn marks which won’t vanish for a long period of time.” 

 

Lowering his voice, he became rather serious about that. “When we are exposed for a longer time and a greater amount, it can cause the demise of the individual. It’s one of the things, which can actually harm us. Or how humans would say: We can die from it.”

 

Only saying so to be able for her to relate to that. In actuality, demons don’t die a second time. The last remains of their physical body just vanish from this realm and they are no longer remembered by anyone, as if they never existed. Such a cruel fate.

 

“This is why it is so essential for you to master the art of the flames of hell to at least some extent. For your own self-defense and safety.” This addition made it more than clear how important it was for him that she would survive. From the time they spent together, she had become so important to him that he just couldn’t let her die. He really, really wanted her to survive at all costs. And when he couldn’t protect her from outsiders’ attacks, she had to do it herself somehow. This made it seem like a mandatory thing to study. After all, it was to make sure that she would continue to live by his side.

 

“I will try.” The actual acknowledgement of the weight of the situation was weak, but at least she was ensuring him that she wanted to learn. “That is the least I expect.” Almost sounding like he was scolding her for what she said. Of course, he greatly wished for her to aim higher, much higher. If she would do so, that would make him a proud tutor.

 

“Fine, put your hands together and channel all your energy there. Feel the heat burning up more and more on the palm of your hands until it sparks a flame. Open your hands when you feel ready.” He was approaching this way too fast for her to follow along with it. Not only was it already hard for her to keep up a stable state of mind, working with magic was making it even more complicated.

 

Due to his pressure, she rushed things, opening her hands too fast. This only resulted in a loud explosion which was about to hit both of them. He had to react fast and use his own magic to avoid any serious impacts. Redirecting the power of the bang back into the puddle they stood in, preventing the severe injuries they could get from her mistake. Playing with fire is always dangerous, even for a demon, and in particular, when it is magical.

 

“You opened your hands too early without actually being ready.” His voice sounded bossy and harsh. “Try again!” He really wanted her to practice this until she would master his class on controlling flames. Without protesting, she began to prepare herself to do the exercise all over from the start.

 

By now, the foul smell didn’t even bother her anymore. The more you are exposed to this stinky mud, the more you get used to it, she thought. Fully concentrating, her focus laid on the inside of her hands. Seconds passed, then minutes. It took a long time before anything happened. Time seemed to stand still, but she didn’t want to repeat her mistake this time. Better safe than sorry, they said.

 

Finally, a small spark illuminated the gap between her fingers. It was barely larger than candlelight. Crossing his arms, watching her and nodding proudly. “Approved.” That was enough and her little flame already dimmed down, going out faster than it had popped up.

 

“We have to advance on this in the future, but it seems you understood the basics. Please practice, even without the amplifier. I’m going to give you a break for now, that the additional energy is able to circulate and spread in your body evenly.”

 

Waddling through the puddle, he came closer and picked her up. Some drops of the dragon blood, slid off her dress and reunited with the larger volume of it, creating small waves on the surface before her clothes slowly dried up. After this lesson, he brought her back to her room. For her first time using active magic, she did well enough. In a way even trying was good enough for him, and he was even proud of his student.

 

All in all, she was still a young, freshly born demon and therefore tasks like this needed to have her resting afterwards. So she did. He didn’t need to sleep on the other hand. It had been ages since he last rested his eyes. But for her sleeping was still necessary. Maintaining a regular schedule, just like she did when she was still a human, would make her feel closer to home, he hoped.

 

The next lesson, however, wasn’t far off. After a good amount of sleep, he woke her to bring her back to their usual space; the one-room library combined with his office. Once more they remained on the lower floor, getting comfortable on the couch and chairs.

 

She chose to lay down on the soft purple velvet cushions to the left of the place, relaxing as she leaned on the armrest of the sofa, her legs up on the fabric. That wasn’t much of a big deal - she never wore shoes inside, only black or gray over-knee socks. “A history lesson?” Wondering, since that was usually the case, when they just sat around down here. To her surprise, he shook his head. “No, but something which does not need much equipment or a large training space.”

 

That made her curious. Maybe it would be an easy task this time, so she hoped. “Shapeshifting in its fullest form is part of the thirteen branches of magic. Due to the fact that it is not your signature ability, you will only learn the amateur version of it.”

 

Shapeshifting; that sounded intriguing. An ability so many humans could only dream of, and he was about to teach her that. But the last part he mentioned didn’t sit so well with her. “What’s the difference?” She really wanted to know, otherwise she wouldn’t have asked in the first place.

 

“Demons and angels, with that as their key ability, are able to truly become what they are shifting into. It’s one of those spells we share with the opposite species. Anyhow, if it’s not your master branch, you are only able to manipulate the way others see you, but you still remain yourself throughout and underneath. In addition, other magical races can still identify you. The only species falling for that are humans.” Educating her further about this topic, a soft smirk lingered on his lips. This was amusing to him. Such a fun practice to study, and he speculated it would be a joyful task for her to learn as well.

 

“Don’t get me wrong, everyone will see the illusion you created, due to the light breaking in a different manner. Let’s not get too deep into the physics.” He waved his hands in front of himself. “But beneath that surface layer, they’ll still see your true self. You can’t really hide your inner core to magical beings. Especially when that person is me.” The desire to know more rose within her, immediately wanting to start with the practical training.

 

Then her body tensed up a little, and he could see the excitement inside of her eyes right away. It was somewhat scary how easily he could read her. But this time it was fine. After all, she was so affectionate, reading her emotions wasn’t hard to do.

 

“You’re probably wondering why demons need to shapeshift in the first place?” Before beginning the physical part, he wanted to check on her knowledge a bit. This was an entirely new topic for her, she didn’t even think about up until now.

 

So no answer from her, just a head shake. In fact, she could not really imagine the reason, besides maybe for fun. After shrugging, which made it clear she had no clue, he then gave the answer away: “Easy, to deceive humans. They believe the lie we play out for them.”

 

Raising his finger and coming closer, he couldn’t suppress an entertained laugh under his breath. He found that so very comical. Interesting. Yet she still wanted to know more about the topic and replied with a curious question. “Does that mean that you could also theoretically become a woman?”

 

What a sudden, strange question out of nowhere. That made him stop snickering for a moment, thinking about what she said. In a way, her inner bisexual voice spoke for her. As a man, the demon on the other side of the table was handsome, no doubt, but her inner self longed for a girl a little more.

 

Wondering how he would look like as a female. Long flowing hair, a doll-like face, probably very nice curves. Since forever she preferred the soft squishy parts of girls a little bit more than the stiff body of the male statue. But then she remembered what this lesson was all about. ‘Shapeshifting’, he could look like anything he wanted, there was no real limit to it. Not ruling out the possibility that he could even deceive her right now about his looks, and that she was simply unable to see it yet.

 

Those thoughts and his rising laughter brought her back to reality. In fact, he found it even funnier than what he thought about before. So much, in fact, little tears formed in his eyes and he just couldn’t stop. It was weird, seeing such a strong emotion in him, and such a positive one on top.

 

It sadly left her only confused and a bit ashamed as well. On one hand, she saw it as a good thing that he took it with humor, but he didn’t have to laugh at her for it. “You are a cute one, you know?” Saying that as sassy as possible before going into a little more serious explanation for her to understand.

 

“As I said, in theory: Yes. But it only affects the outside appearance of me. I am still a male inside and always will be. If that makes any sense to you? Since I do not possess the profession of this magical branch.” His gaze shifted, his eyelids lowered, now giving her a seducing look, once more adorned with a charming smile.

 

Her cheek lit up in a soft pink and she had to look away, feeling tiny butterflies in her stomach. “But if you really want it. I am not averse to becoming a woman for you.” Ending that offer with a sexy wink. Having sex with another woman; that was a secret dream of hers. Getting back into these dreamy thoughts again, it got her even more embarrassed. Being all fuzzy inside, she couldn’t sit still anymore. That entire thing really got to her, wiggling her entire body and holding her glowing red-hot cheeks with her hands. He probably saw all of that and wondered what the fuck was going on with her. On the positive side, this would probably make him want to try it as well. After all, he said, he’s curious about it too, that’s at least what she understood from his words.

 

Clearing his throat, to get her attention back and hopefully her concentration as well, “Anyways, we should continue with the lesson.” Trying to get things straight again, before she would get entirely lost in her chaotic but admirable thoughts. In the end, they were still having a class here, both of them, and in a classroom, one shouldn’t always think about sexual intercourse with the teacher. “I want you to practice easy things for starters.”

 

Kicking off the practical part of the lesson, he got up and moved over to a more open space. If something went wrong, they wouldn’t knock over any heavy furniture. “Come here, please.” Despite the fact it was an order, his voice sounded so soft. “And if you don’t mind, would you take off your necklace?” Even a request this time. Truly showing how much both of them have been progressing during such a small amount of time.

 

Since he asked this time, without much resistance she followed his demand, taking off the necklace and placing it carefully on the tiny coffee table next to her. As she made her way to where he was standing, she assumed her full demonic form; looks like that was necessary for today's exercise.

 

Feeling strangely comfortable in her skin for the first time, she also had evolved from where she once was. Her feathery wings fluttered a tiny bit with every step she took. Magic in itself felt more natural to her by now and there was an acceptance that she wasn’t a monster anymore but a demon. All in all, both of them had laid out a great foundation to build their relationship on top of.

 

Her eyes grew wider as she came to a halt right in front of him, expecting him to tell her more and actually get things started. Excited that he would teach her more, a small shiver rushed through her body. “Let’s start with something easy and relatable.”

 

His hand wandered up to his chin and he had to take a moment to think about something for her. Coming up with something human wasn’t that difficult to figure out. Then he got a small idea:

 

“Animals. Some demons are depicted with bat wings; try that first. I am sure you know how a bat looks.” Caressing over her feathered wings, before brushing the tips of them. “This should be easy for you. First, concentrate, as always.”

 

Closing her eyes so she could focus better, then taking deep breaths, in and out, calm and steady. At first, this seemed so easy, but it was harder than one would expect. The hype from earlier was still there and she was eager to pull this off right, but still, it took a lot of effort and magical control over her own body. Hoping for the best, she started to picture a bat clearly in her mind. Over time, the image became more defined and she could concentrate on the wings of the animal only.

 

And indeed, her wings flopped a little, before changing their entire appearance to the one reminiscent of a sky puppy. “Good work, now open your eyes.” Complimenting her on how seemingly effortless she managed that. But that wasn’t the case, she was ambitious about it, which was the only reason it worked out so smoothly.

 

The very moment her eyes opened, she had to take a look at her back, inspecting the new asset closer. “Wow, it really worked. That’s amazing!” First try success, something she didn’t experience often, so of course, that was high-key impressive for her. However, she managed to do it and she was proud of herself.

 

Spreading her wings out widely, it showed off the leather-like texture between the bones. Again, he reached out his hands for them, patting the skin in-between before plucking out a feather through the illusion.

 

The pain of the removal of one feather alone made her shiver. Stepping back, closing in her wings, she expressed anxiety. Such a small action was already giving her post-traumatic stress response, memories of her defeathering. Until this day she still hadn’t truly been able to recover from that.

 

“Please don’t,” her tiny frightened voice whispered. While he was playing around with the feather between his fingers, stroking over it and finally waving it around, she was holding her arm and hunching down, uncomfortable. “Don’t worry, my Star. Relax.” A calm and genuine smile would loosen up the situation, he thought.

 

“That was just a simple demonstration that someone of my level is still able to break through the illusion.” With that, he let the small, lightweight feather float down to the ground, where it turned into ash quickly. Raising his arms for a small and simple shrug, “And that is key knowledge when it comes to this topic. Even though you cannot see my wings, horns nor other demon assets, they are still there. Remember that, alright?”

 

Turning around for a moment, he pointed at his back before he faced her again. “Others can still detect that, soon you will too. Humans, however, as I already mentioned, could never ever see that. We have special eyes.” Empathizing on the ‘we’, now pointing at his small slits beyond the green orbs, sparkling mysteriously.

 

“Maybe with some training, you can change your form easily at will and keep it up over long periods of time, just like me. Wouldn’t that solve many of your self-doubts?” Temping her even more, almost like a bait. But he was right. His tactic worked and she became more eager and excited than she already was.

 

“Yes!” she shouted. “Yes, teach me more, please!” Repeating herself, from her expression alone it was obvious to him that she really wanted that. So they extended the lesson over what he had originally planned. Seeing her with so much excitement about magic was a rare sight and he had to hold on to that as long as possible.

 

“Fine, how about…” Silence as his thoughts lingered about what to come up with next, “… a cat this time?” A cat? Like the one she saw in her vision back then? Or something bigger, more like a lion or a tiger? “Transform your horns into cat ears and...” While he was still coming up with a proper task, he walked around her with big but slow steps, stroking over the tip of her pointy tail, which made her blush immediately.

 

That gained his attention; most demon females had a sensitive spot there and he was right about it this time as well. She, on the other hand, pulled back her tail and held it in her own two hands nervously, protected from his grasp.

 

Now he was sure he had definitely found a pleasure spot. But since they were in class he let it slide and smirked, finishing up what he wanted from her, “… your tail into the one of a feline.”

 

Well, to be honest, that shouldn’t be that hard. Having a pet cat as a child, she was way more familiar with the anatomy of cats than bats. And thinking back to it, didn’t he also mention ‘familiars’ once? Those were the animals demons bonded with, and hers seemed to be a cat as well. One day, she had to tell him about that, but today was not the day.

 

Just like the previous attempt, she started off by closing her eyes. Images of small and large animalistic creatures flashed through her mind. It reminded her of the ceremony during which she had received her abilities. Her hands hovering, her fingers twitching nervously, unconsciously she even let escape a tiny “meow”.

 

Due to her eyes being closed she was unable to see it, but that made him blush and gasp quietly. To not break her concentration, she also didn’t mind that. This time he discovered a hidden kink of his own; maybe he had a thing for kitten play. His eyes wandered off in the distance for a moment, well aware, compared to her, he wouldn’t just give it away like this.

 

Deepening her focus in the meantime and as he looked back, it already had worked out. “My Star? Please take a look.” Gently, he placed his warm hand on her shoulder, bringing her back from her transcendent state of mind. To her surprise her horns had changed without her noticing, instead, two fluffy black ears poked out of her white strands.

 

“Uh?” That was too cute, and he almost couldn’t contain himself as her cat ears wiggled. “Y-you did well.” Moving his collar as he felt a sudden increase of heat in the room, or was that only his body? Her newly formed cat tail excitedly swung from left and right behind her back. “I think we should continue this lesson some other time. You studied enough for now regarding that.”

 

Trying to wrap up the lesson, because any longer and he would probably devour her in a sexual way like the greedy lusty beast he was deep inside. Demons never truly change, creatures born out of sin. Before anything could happen, he was making his steps back to the table, picking up the amulet and attaching it back on her neck.

 

The magic was over as soon as the lock clicked again, the feline part and bat wings disappearing into thin air. “Oh. Well, I wished that I would have had those just a little longer.” A sigh of relief from him, as he brushed off cold nervous sweat of his forehead.

 

From her, a rather disappointed expression on the other hand. “Don’t worry, you will get other chances in the future.” Reassuring her about scheduled lessons, and that in return made her smile a little. Such an adorable little girl, sometimes that was a smile to die for if he weren’t dead already.

 

It was indeed stunning that their relationship has evolved in this way, things worked out so smoothly. Neither of them could have had imagined that awhile back. That things started to work out better didn’t stay unnoticed by him. Finally, they had found a common ground for communication that both were satisfied with.

 

After a deep breath and some awareness, he wanted to pick up on another forgotten assignment. “Do you remember the first ever lesson we had?” Asking her to check up if she would get on with it. How could she forget? That jump, or rather that push, off the roof still shook her to the bones. For sure that was a shock for a lifetime.

 

“You pushed me off the roof in hopes I’d be able to fly.” Replying while avoiding eye contact, her voice sounded dull like she still held a grudge about that. “Exactly. Please follow me.” He invited her to go upstairs with him.

 

Oh no, he wanted to do it again, but she wasn’t ready. Trying to bring up her concerns, she just had to voice them: “Could we maybe start off the ground?” But before she could even finish her sentence, he was already out of the range where he would be able to hear. Opening the glass door with determined quick motions, stepping out, waiting impatiently for her to join.

 

Shortly afterwards, she trotted on the balcony as well. Even though she wore socks, the outside stone felt cold under her feet. There it was again, the tight feeling in her chest and the resignation. Her mentality telling her to not do that again, she was so fixated on herself that she didn’t even notice how he was already standing on the railing with one foot.

 

His huge black wings spread out widely, ready to take off, only waiting for her to get going. Those feathers, all in all, must be at least three times his size. Strong, shiny and yet so aesthetic - he looked like a giant raven. Already flapping them around, whirling up some dust and dirt; the breeze they created shouldn’t be underestimated. “Come on, what are you waiting for?”

 

Still holding her arms over her face, protecting her eyes from the swirling dust he had lifted up in the air. His hand reached out, while his body was turning, his fingers moving, inviting her to another trip through the sky.

 

For her, on the other hand, that was another invitation for a panic attack. That made her stay back as far as possible, pressing her back tightly against the castle’s dark walls. The cold rough stones piercing in her back hurt, but it was inevitable. Without further hesitation, she yelled out loud: “No!” Falling back into her old bratty behavior again, shaking her head violently. Anything which would make him understand that she did not want that.

 

Her heart was beating up to her throat again, making it hard to swallow and breathe. If one could even call this hysteric gasping for air breathing. No way, no no no. She didn’t want to go through that again. Complete paralysis overcame her in the end and only slowly was he able to notice her concerns. The panic attack fully taking control over her body, now even he understood. Stepping down from the parapet, he got back to her before the adrenaline rush would take out the worst in her.

 

“Hey? What’s wrong?” No answer from her, just silent shivering. She was trapped in her own world of fear. “N-no, don’t,” was all she could say between clenched rattling teeth. It was the first time he was able to react properly to a panic attack of hers, so it was his turn now to try his best. “Alright, then. Let’s go back inside,” he whispered, slowly shoving her back into the warm room.

 

Maybe that would help her calm down and escape her self-imprisoned state of fear. What was frightening her so much? There surely was more to it than meets the eye. Something she was hiding; a simple fear about heights looks different. 

 

Raising his eyebrows, he tried to wrap his mind around it. Again, he had to think like a human; it was still difficult for him, but not impossible anymore. “Well, I think I know a perfect room to talk about this issue.” Walking downstairs and holding her hand tightly, as he noticed her legs were still shaking, that she could fall at any moment.

 

“Follow me.” Not knowing where he would bring her now, but deeply hoping it would help her bursting the bubble of fear she trapped herself in.

 


	15. Arc 3 Part 5

**Arc 3**

**Part 5**

 

The room he led her to was familiar; she noticed as soon as the hot steam blew against her face. It was the bathing hall. Letting go of his hand, she took a few steps on her own, the heat of the room already helping her to get rid of her stiffness from before.

 

“I thought it’d be a good idea since this vitalized water helps us recover faster.” Indeed, he was proud of his idea, and this time it did not even seem like a bad one. The warmth spreading in the room, enclosing her, made her feel more relaxed.

 

Undressing her and then himself, he guided her back into the greenish shimmering water. It took a while, but eventually her tension loosened up so much she was able to speak the thought that lingered in her mind.

 

“As you probably already guessed, after what happened during the first accident, I am really afraid of trying it again. My wings probably won’t hold me afloat. Do you understand?” That was an interesting choice of words; he had to consider that for a few moments. While he thought about it, he slowly moved her to a corner where they both could sit down. “Well, I guess I do,” he eventually replied, but he knew there was something more. “And, is there anything else you want to tell me?”

 

At first she was hesitant, speaking up slowly. “Yes. There is something more.” Aha, he just knew it. An invisible smirk rushed over his face, waiting for her to speak it up loud enough for him to hear it.

 

“I’m afraid that you will stop giving me massages. Because you only did that to relax my wings. And if I can fly you won’t do it anymore.” That was it? That was all there was to it? It made him laugh at how silly she was behaving. The water slowly waved against their bodies as he brushed over her back with his hands.

 

“Don’t worry about that, my Star. I will give you those as much as you like, your ability to fly or not has nothing to do with that. I am giving you those because I care and see you enjoying them.” That reassuring answer really calmed her down a lot and she let herself sink deeper into the water, wrapping her arms around his torso to find a hold.

 

In return he patted her on the back, initiating what he just promised to her. In no way was it uncomfortable this time, nor did it shift into awkwardness as it did previously. No, this time it was relaxing, calming and actually helping her.

 

“I wonder, are you interested in seeing my true form for the first time?” That sudden question popped out of his mouth, gently whispering in her ear. “I’ve seen yours so often, so maybe it is time that I reveal myself to you as well?” Honestly, she was indifferent about it, if she really would want to see that. “I don’t know, I guess. If you really have such a deep urge to show it to me…”

 

Her words didn’t sound convincing, and rather came off as a question than a defined answer, but for the time being it was good enough, he thought. “Well then.” Getting himself up, only his bottom half was covered by the water now. Inching towards the middle of the pool, a deeper part where he had enough space to start his transformation.

 

She slipped off his lap, making her way to the side, waiting right on the border of the tub for him to start. It was still a complex topic in her mind if she really wanted that. But the decision was made, and it couldn’t be that bad, right? Trying to suppress her worries and thoughts, she looked up. After all, it was happening to him, not to her. There was nothing to fear, or so she hoped, at least.

 

Shortly afterwards, the light of the red moon hit the water’s surface, dying the atmosphere in a deep crimson. His giant raven wings unfolded on his back, spreading out widely. Those feathers she had already seen before. During his magical transition, little bubbles of water rose up in the air, breaking the light and creating a sparkling fluorescent lightshow in the entire room.

 

At that time, her concerns surfaced again. If he would reveal more, would her view on him change forever? Would she see him in a different light, with different eyes? Questions arose, but again zoomed back to reality as she anxiously bit her lower lip, taking a deep breath. Things would just turn out fine – Please?

 

However, something new was happening and that something was his slick, long tail unfolding, whipping eagerly left and right in the water. The calm surface tension over the water was breaking, due to that; waves crashed against his lower torso, as they were just playing with each other in sync. Like a huge boulder in an ocean, a shore, a wave breaker. Additionally, black ink spread across his body and his limbs became tainted, just like hers, flowing out into long sharp claws. So, that was the true form of a demon, of his kind.

 

By now, her fears vanished and were entirely replaced by curiosity. Her eyes watched closely and finally, huge curled horns, even larger than hers, showed up between his white locks. The transformation was completed. The hectic water, slowly calmed down, and the drops floating mid-air popped, giving back their leftover water to the huge body underneath.

 

For now, she could only see his smirk as dangerous looking fangs blinked white through the darkness of the room – the moon had vanished and the red light was fading. Moving his hands, she saw the silhouette of his claws, inviting her to come closer. His stature in the water was so intimidating that suddenly all her fear came back. This creature was a true demon.

 

Such a powerful aura was emitting from him, so strong it was pressing her physically away from him, against the wall of the pool. Should she really come closer to this dangerous looking person?

 

She shook her head, gasping for air. Her heart raced inside her chest, slowly but surely building up more and more panic. Even her head was going blank again; her entire body, in fact, was heating up, and all she could perceive was dizziness and confusion.

 

To help herself, she raised her hands and placed them on her cheeks, her head still furiously shaking. As he saw her, he softened up his gesture, lowering his arm, sighing. “Well, this was the reason why I asked you first, before transforming.” A bit of concern and disappointment sparked through his gaze.

 

He tried to excuse himself with that, but deep down he knew he should not have done that and waited instead for a clear message from her. When would be the right time? Clearly, this was not, and it was way too early to reveal this to her.

 

Still, there was a little blaze of hope that she would accept all of this, so he tried again: “I kept my true form hidden the entire time because I was so very concerned you would be afraid of it. Which just got proven right, it seems.” His eyebrows knitted up. Since the day they met, he hoped keeping his demonic features hidden would make her trust him more. After all, it made him look as human as possible.

 

“I never wanted to scare you and-” But before he could even finish his sentence, he noticed that something else caught her attention, taking his frame more closely to view. His right arm, that he had reached out with before, was covered in strange symbols. On another occasion, the last time they were here to be precise, she had already wondered what those abstract tattoos meant.

 

Without inching any step closer, she instead raised her voice to ask him about this matter. “Those marks, what are they?” Releasing the tension on his shoulders, he lowered his gaze, taking a look himself.

 

“Oh, those? They are what we call a demon’s true name.” Standing in the water and brushing off his upper arm with the other hand, before he directed one of his sharp claws to the upper part of the inky engravings.

 

“You should be most familiar with the top part. This eye, it means ‘sight’; it’s the indication for my ability to oversee...” Slowly he approached her, but he noticed she was flinching away, so he came to a halt rather quickly.

 

“You might remember the third eye I gave you during your latest punishment.” A frown rushed over his face at remembering that; how he regretted hurting her so much; and it stung his heart. “It’s my signature symbol, in a way. So, all curses I cast will have this eye in one way or another.” He gave a deep sigh.

 

Noticing how much she had tensed up again, he continued to teach her about the markings; maybe that would calm her down a little. A simple educational class on demon markings.

 

“Underneath, is the rune for ‘home’.” Her ears perked up and so did her head, wondering what that could mean in that context.

 

“Home is the place you belong. In a way, it’s a symbol of my family, but the true meaning of home, is where your heart is, where you feel safe, regardless of blood bonds.” This was heavy to admit for him. This was his home now, not the house he grew up in with his family. No, it was this lonely castle he had decided to live in and build himself up from the ground with dark magic.

 

It came to her mind that this place they were both in was in the middle of no man's land. Isolated, so that’s what he decided, where he wishes to belong. She swallowed thickly. But since she was here as well, he wasn’t alone anymore. The time they had spent together already made her feel like this was her home as well.

 

Her lips moved ever so slightly, as she wished to bring that up, but no sounds could be heard. That soundwave she tried to bring forth faded quickly in the huge hall, into a barely audible echo, and besides, he was already moving on with the explanations.

 

“You see, this compass right here, it is actually the symbol ‘protection’. I bet you have never seen such a weird looking compass.” Chuckling at his last words, his face even lit up a little. His clear gaze fixated upon her while softening up.

 

This entire posture loosened as he offered her a hug, merely standing a few meters in front of her. Raising his arms ever so slightly and inching forwards another step. The will to embrace her deeply resonated inside of him.

 

“I swear to protect you. From anyone and anything which lurks out there. From now on, you are under my care, and I’ll make sure to not disappoint.” These words came across so sincere, her own eyes began to sparkle, but rather in surprise than anything else. How could a demon, a creature of his kind, say such honest words? So much care emitted from them, it was almost as if she couldn’t believe them – should she, however?

 

Shockingly, she was able to get rid of some of her stiffness due to his promise, even going so far as to push herself off the wall she was leaning on. Metaphorically and literally this was a huge step forward, and not only for her.

 

“You are my bonded Star, my Astéri, and that is my promise of protection towards you.” As these words left his lips, he was slightly bowing forwards, his hand reaching towards his heart. A gesture of respect and honesty. He really meant his words and that meant a lot to her.

 

Reading his voice so clearly made her tear up a little, hiding how flattered she was as she looked away and quickly rubbed off the tears forming in the corner of her eyes.

 

Only one glyph was left to explain, “The moon crest on the bottom, that is the mark of ‘wish fulfillment’.” Clearly, he has his own desires and wishes, hoping one day they would come true. One of those secret wishes of him was to have a person he could rely on, that he could truly love without the fear of rejection or betrayal.

 

They managed to be merely one or two feet apart by now. Suddenly, she felt something heating up on the back of her neck. Their eyes met, losing themselves in the moment, as they looked into each other’s soul mirrors. “Do I also have that?”

 

After she spoke out that question, the tattoo of hers radiated strong, the sign of their bond awaking. “You do; yours is placed on the top of your back. By now, you should clearly feel it.” The distance between them was so small, that he could reach out to her, caressing her short strands of hair located just above her neck.

 

His fingers glided upwards, playing with her curls, wrapping some singular strands of hair around his finger. Surprisingly, his claws didn’t hurt her, they didn’t even scratch her skin. “You possess the symbol of ‘prosperity’ and ‘healing’. Those characteristics are symbolic for your true name.”

 

As she could feel his soft skin over her sensitive neck, her cheeks lit up bright pink. Hiding was futile, all she could do was express how flustered she actually was. These things, all those words, they resonated with her and moved something deep within.

 

Eventually, after gathering all her courage, she took the first step forwards, walking up to him and right into his arms, which embraced her immediately. By now, she didn’t mind that he was an intimidating demon, almost like a beast. No matter his appearance, he was so soft inside. He was still a person in need of love, care and intimacy.

 

“Thank you, for telling me all this.” Ever so quietly speaking up. “Thank you for bringing me here – my new home.” Repeating his words and emphasizing on word ‘home’. His eyes grew wider and he let out a surprised gasp. Truly, his brain could not process what she just said.

 

She had called this place home, her home, and that filled his heart with so much joy he couldn’t contain himself any longer. Finally, she had accepted all of this and, most importantly, him. That made him feel so glad, he just had to tighten his grip on her and rub his face into her hair.

 

Tiny droplets of salty water formed in the corner of his eyes, no longer holding back any of his feelings, he started sobbing. A demon crying, that was a rare sight to behold. Without truly admitting it, he was probably more human than he wanted to be.

 

“And, I think...” Looking up at him, so he raised his head as well. Silence for a few brief moments as their eyes met, “… I love you too.” For the first time, she spoke out those sacred, magical words. He really could not grasp what was happening to him.

 

“Remember, after the first time we had sex? You told me that you think you love me. And now, I think I can say that I love you as well.” She quickly explained, misinterpreting his silence, as confusion.

 

But he very aware of what she was referring to. Without further ado, he grabbed her by the waist, pulled her up, and his lips clashed upon hers. Unifying the two of them in a long and passionate kiss, another celestial body tinted the room in rose gold, as it shone through the giant window at the end of the hall.

 

Finally, both of their hearts were beating as one. Love and trust had united the star-bonded lovers, as they found each other in the wide expanse of time and space, and their Desmós was finally completed. Bringing the pure joy of unification in both of their chests.

 


	16. Arc 4 Part 1

**Arc 4**

**Part 1**

 

By now, probably weeks had passed in the human realm; her education was progressing well, and she started to make noticeable progress. Not only did her magic bloom, their relationship developed as well. Tiny steps, but they all added up.

 

Just another typical day for them—round about an afternoon, an earth dweller would say. She took a break from her studies, and he being a workaholic even did research during his leisure time. However, there was one problem.

 

Time had passed, at least for humans, but for her, she felt like she was floating in a dimension where time was an illusion and did not exist despite it clearly passing somehow. She had brought up her concerns often, especially recently.

 

This feeling of numbness she was experiencing and expressing clearly at not knowing how much time had passed on earth slowly began to sneak up on him as well. After all, he wanted her to feel happy and secure. So he used the small window of time between their lessons to experiment on a tiny pocket watch he had acquired not too long ago.

 

It was just something he had purchased at an antique store a while back during a short visit to earth. A delicate, small watch, the frame sparkling golden. However, the small breakable hands had stopped ever since he came back to this dimension. Now he faced the problem of having to sync it with the time of her hometown and to somehow get it ticking again. That in itself was a really hard task; no demon had ever attempted before. Why even should they?

 

“Anything new?” Her tiny steps pattered upstairs to where he was. Just at the moment, he flicked a page of the book he was eagerly browsing in. The fragile clock laid right in front of him on his desk and the lid was open so he could inspect the insides closely. As soon as he heard her voice, he shoved up the frames of his glasses on the bridge of his nose, facing her.

 

“Not much, but I have an idea, which might work.” Leaning back, he paused what he was working on for a second. “Well, it could ‘maybe’ work.” A ‘maybe’ was more than worth a shot for her. Playfully, his gaze brushed over his unfinished work before his lips formed a slight smirk. Admitting to himself, this project was interesting for him as well and brought him a lot of fun. Maybe he could achieve something no one ever had before him, and that was exciting.

 

“What do you say about a little trip to the human world?” That suggestion alone made her eyes light up with a million of stars and galaxies in them—seriously, that was the best thing she could even think of. Mending her homesickness and finally seeing earth again as she remembered it. Furiously nodding at his suggestion, she could barely keep her excitement contained. So that was more than a clear ‘yes’ from her side, he chuckled. Before moving, however, he took a few moments to gather himself. “Since we are going to an ‘enemy’ territory, your magical abilities will be strongly handicapped; please prepare in advance for that.”

 

She was a demon now, so dwelling among humans again might be a challenge for her. Usually, behavior like that, a species wandering in the wrong realm, was severely punished by the higher-ups. But when there’s no turmoil caused, it’s allowed for a short time. Not that anyone ever bats an eye on that rule.

 

Anyhow, the demons and angels would feel the pressure of being in the wrong place. An angel can’t make it long down here, and the opposite is true for some demons who wanted to go up. The only way to survive this risky idea is to completely convert to the other side.

 

However, one thing was impossible for eternity: Becoming human again. They only had one chance to live among them and they better used that right. Those concerns were rising within him for a split second, thinking about all the consequences and hoping for the best.

 

That’s why he was giving her a fair warning prior to their departure. “You know, I lived my entire life up to this moment without magic. I don’t think that should be a big deal for me.” Looking at it like this, she was right. “Well then,” he said, getting up from the chair and brushing his worries aside.

 

“In actuality it’s a bit more complicated than that.” He made an attempt to explain the gravity of the situation but quickly skipped that idea to instead give her hand instructions. That actually might help her better, rather than losing himself in over-complicated explanations for now.

 

“Your demon form might show, and humans will freak out if they see you like this.” Obviously. “So keep your necklace on, under all circumstances. Promise me that, okay?” Walking towards her, he stared down at her rather seriously. He was only worried about her.

 

“Of course.” Acknowledging his request since she wouldn’t dare to show any magic over there—she wasn’t that out of her mind to try any sort of tricks like that. That answer pleased him, and he returned to smiling softly while moving his hand to pat the top of her head.

 

“Get yourself ready then. If you want to take anything with you, you have ten minutes to pack up. I will come to pick you up shortly in your room.”

 

Not a moment later, she had already rushed back to her dorm to prepare herself for the trip back home. Still, she couldn’t believe it, this fuzzy and warm feeling of finally seeing her town again, maybe even her friends, made her feel so overwhelmingly happy.

 

He sighed at her leaving so quickly. As soon as she was out of reach, he was looking through his shelves. His fingers wandering over a little ampule made of glass, filled with a gooey substance.

 

Grabbing it and shaking it around between his fingers, the liquid wavered ominously and little bubbles rose within. He knew exactly what this vessel held, and she should be very familiar with what this strange potion was as well. “Just in case of an emergency,” he thought to himself as he wrapped a string around the bottle’s neck, deciding to wear it as a necklace and quickly letting it vanish under his shirt.

 

Then it was already about time, he made his way to her bedroom to pick her up for the journey which awaited them. “Are you ready?” he asked as he opened the door. He watched her stuffing things into a backpack before finally wrapping things up.

 

“Almost. One more second.” That was all she needed, closing the zipper and slipping into a pair of comfortable shoes; she then approached him, signing him clearly that they could leave now.

 

A sighed a soft hum before he cast the spell which would open a portal back to where she came from. His hand floated through the air, creating a shadow and light illusion within itself. So that’s how it looked like when a skilled and experienced demon speaks out a spell. The one she was desperately searching for last time; the gate to the human world.

 

For him, this did not take much effort, it was a spell he could recite in his sleep. That he was able to just pull it off so easily made her sigh a little, sad and disappointed in herself. How much she had messed up, trying that herself.

 

Then, a familiar sight unfolded in front of her as a portal opened that caught her attention. The white swirl hovering mid-air, they were ready to step into it and to the other side. Offering his hand, both of them stepped through it and just a moment later they found themselves in a narrow alleyway. The magical door closed behind them, popping out of existence. Nothing strange happening here, it seemed.

 

A rather quiet place, not many people were here where they landed. In fact, at the moment, no one was here at all. Lucky for them, it seemed. “Let’s go, our destination is just around the corner.” He motioned for her to get going. He exactly knew what he wanted and needed from this place.

 

They stumbled towards a narrow street, arriving at a store which looked like it was closed. All the shop windows were covered with faded curtains and it looked as though it had been abandoned for years.

 

Nonetheless, he shoved the door open, pushing aside one of those rags. Only thin rays of light shone upon the inventory whenever the covers were moved by an incoming breeze. Opening the door, a tine bell rang, notifying the owner that they had customers.

 

At first glance, this looked like an ordinary antique store, a farfetched attempt to describe it would maybe a fortune teller’s house. Without further ado, he sat down on a red velvet couch, placed conveniently close to the entrance. Dust particles danced in the air, reflecting the dim light here and there. It was a small room overall, stuffed to the ceiling with all kind of things from all possible humanely imaginable eras.

 

A thin layer of dust covered most of the items, and the smell of time was in the air. In a way, everything was grayed out, kind of vintage.

 

After waiting awhile, she heard footsteps coming from a room further back in the store. One of the curtains moved and a ladylike figure emerged from the shadows. The sound of her footsteps had a wooden tune to it, she was probably wearing a pair of getas.

 

Quickly, he pulled the little demon on to his lap, making her face him. That was high-key necessary since the lady coming towards them had a threatening aura around her. In fact, so threatening that the small one curled up a little, trying to hide on him.

 

For once, he actually noticed so and unfolded his black feathers to cover her up. By now, the figure had reached them and came to a halt. She was wearing a traditional red kimono, found mostly in Japan, and long silky black hair covered her torso, flowing over her clearly voluminous chest. The foreign-looking woman stared down at them with an arrogant glaze in her face.

 

“Back so soon? I did not expect you here.” The voice of hers was deep and mature and gave off the last hint that she was definitely not native to Korea. That made the girl curious, so she tried to catch at least a glimpse of her, but the powerful demon prohibited it by tightening his wings around her.

 

He clearly wanted to hide and protect her from the other person across the room. An annoyed hum came from deep inside his throat. He was not here for chatter. The storekeeper walked around the tiny coffee table they both sat at, and she took a seat in the red velvet armchair on the opposite side.

 

While she prepared a traditional Asian-looking pipe, her gaze shifted towards the wings of the man in front of her, taking notice that he wanted to hide something or someone. “What do you want? And why did you bring that infant with you?”

 

Now her voice was curt, and clearly, she had no intention of having small talk either. The little one was so surprised; without even seeing her, this woman was able to sense her regardless. Conclusion: She must be a demon, too. Otherwise, he would probably never have shown his wings in the first place. Made sense.

 

She shifted a little and managed to get a tiny glimpse of the lady. All she saw, however, was the heavy white make-up she wore before the male one adjusted his feathers again.

 

“None of your business who I am bringing with me. I am here for an ‘earth gem’. Do you have something like that in-store?” A hint of grumpiness and definitely serious business tainted his voice, making it as short as possible. Looks like, after all, this species had to assert dominance towards each other. Even though they looked so peaceful in the beginning.

 

That moment, she stopped preparing the tobacco. “You are lucky, I still have one in the back. But you will owe me a big one for that.” Taking the pipe with her, she used her fire magic to light it, bringing it to her full, red lips, she pulled on it once. The smoke added to the shady atmosphere in the room, and she eventually left to look for the item in question.

 

That gave the small demon girl time to think about how this mature looking woman had called her an ‘infant’ just now. Was she really that small? Just a toddler; no, a baby, that’s what she had implied. A soft sigh left her lips. Doubts started rising anew within her.

 

Maybe that dangerous female was right. Maybe she was nothing but an infant in the eyes of a demon. After all, she was just born. During her time as a human, she had lived twenty years. For a demon, that was not even the blink of an eye.

 

And even as a human, she had a childish mind, and with her past actions—being a brat—she proved that to him even more. Truly, she never faced actual bad and serious times in her life, only minor problems here and there. Could the stranger demon sense that too?

 

And to top it all off, her body was small, unfeminine and just resembled that of a young teenage girl. How could she call herself an adult like this? In no way could she compete with an actual grown-up woman. Should she even call herself a woman? Maturity, experience, a good-looking figure. All of that was missing in her. More and more highly self-conscious thoughts piled up in her mind. That made her shift, placing her hand on her chest. Her heart was racing, and she was talking herself into a downward spiral.

 

Rarely before she had felt so insignificant, and that only from the words of a stranger she had never seen before. Why was a random person moving something in her so deeply? That didn’t make any sense. Right now, she really wanted to get out of her body.

 

She tortured herself by believing that adult woman, that she herself was nothing more than a child. Why would a man like him even choose such an immature girl like her? Her gaze lowered, trying to calm herself down, at least a tiny bit.

 

Sadly, in the end, there was not much time for that since the lady already came back with a small treasure chest in her hands. The long hem of her dress slid gracefully over the ground. Her long bony fingers clicked on the small box as it sprung open.

 

Revealing a caramel-coloured stone, it was so shiny and smooth, and it laid there upon a red pillow—that must be the ‘earth gem’. She took the gem out and gave it a proving look before she handed it to him. “As I said, you will owe me something for that. Don’t forget it.”

 

Halfheartedly, he shrugged that off. It’s not like he would have forgotten that within the last five minutes. He took out a small pouch from his pocket, placed the stone carefully in there, and put it away safely.

 

They had what they wanted, and he was ready to get up and walk out of there. Honestly, he was glad that this was done now. Lifting his wings, he stood up, grabbing her by the wrist and dragging his bonded star out. For one last moment before leaving entirely, she managed to take in the frame of the adult demon female.

 

Truly, she was beautiful as she stood there smoking her pipe, her well-proportioned silhouette alone was worth a gaze already. Her hand on her hip, she wasn’t even telling them goodbye. Majestic in some weird, twisted fashion, it definitely showed off how highly she thought of herself. In a way, that was inspiring, to get at least a fraction of that self-confidence this woman showed but she lacked.

 

While walking outside, his wings vanished quickly that no one could spot them. “We still have some time to spare, is there anything you’d like to do while we’re already here?” His words implied that they would stay among the humans for quite a bit longer.

 

That alone made her overjoyed and she eagerly began thinking about what they could do now. “Well, how about shopping? I know an amazing mall in the city center.” It had been a while since she last went there, but it was a great free time activity, and it was always fun to look around the stores. She had such fond memories which now ascended in her mind.

 

And maybe she could show him more of the human way of living, too. “Do you know what a mall is?” Just to make sure she asked. He gave her a judging glance.

 

“Uhm, who do you think I am? Of course I know. I might be old, but I am well aware of shopping centers.” That explains it. A bit sad, she looked down. In the end, there wasn’t much she could teach him. “Oh, okay.” A silent sway of disappointment. While he shoved his hands in the pockets of his pants, both of them stepped out of the alley towards a more crowded street, looking around and waiting there for a couple of seconds.

 

Suddenly something came to her mind. “My wallet! I don’t have my wallet!” She furiously searched through her handy backpack. She must have lost it together with her clothes back then in the forest. “But even if I wasn’t at work… didn’t pay rent. My bank account is probably deeply in dept by now.” Wondering how long she was actually gone from earth. Was it two months? Three? Or already half a year? Honestly, she couldn’t tell the slightest.

 

Holding her head, she began to feel panicked. This was no good in any way, she’d been away for too long; far too long. What if someone else got her apartment? What if all her stuff had been thrown into the trash? What if…?! “Hey calm down.”

 

His voice broke through her traumatic thoughts, taking her wrist and lightly shaking her. “I’ve got you covered, money-wise.” Huh? What did he just say? Snapping out of her terrible imagery, he pulled out another silky bag. Opening it up it revealed a small amount of precious looking gemstones.

 

“Oh, wow...” It slipped out of her mouth, full of surprise. Where did he get those from? They looked expensive. Swallowing thickly, her eyes wandered upwards, facing him; even without words the question was obvious to him.

 

“Rubies, sapphires, and a few emeralds, here and there a diamond. For humans, those minerals are worth so much.” He laughed because he found it pathetic that humans valued stones so highly. “We can get a reasonable amount of human currency when we trade them in, don’t you think?”

 

Meanwhile, he closed the bag, pulling on the string and letting it vanish back in his pockets quickly so that no one could see them and get the idea of robbing them. “B-but, is that really worth it? I mean, those gems they are so rare and expensive. Should we really trade them in for money?”

 

Completely out of her mind, she protested. Truly, he shouldn’t waste such precious materials on a little girl like her. They would find another way to get money, somehow. “Don’t be silly. Those stones? Rare? Expensive? Don’t make me laugh.”

 

He, on the other hand, found it so very amusing knowing that she wasn’t even aware of what truly rare stones would be. “Dig not even a foot deep in the dirt right in front of my castle and you will have a handful of these. They are basically worthless to demons.”

 

Her head turned to the side, staring into the distance, gazing over the streets full of people, but not minding any of them. If what he said was true, then she really needed to investigate that for herself once they were back home. She added that to her mental to-do-list. But that brought up another question inside of her.

 

“What’s the currency of demons then? How do you guys pay one another?” Popping out of her mouth, since he had made it clear that money or materials were of no value for this race. Finally moving, both of them made their way down the street, slowly setting one foot after the other while talking about those magical things like it was no big deal. At least humans are too self-absorbed to care for the chatter of others, so that was no problem at all, really.

 

“Favors.” Easy and simple. “We pay each other in favors. Being a tutor myself, many demons and devils owe me shit. I taught their kids for years.” His hand reached out as he gestured wildly. “So you can say I made myself a name. But you will learn more about that eventually and can even get your own deals out of it.”

 

Those were his last words before they made their way to the city, exchanging the stones for money at some jewelry store. The buyer was completely out of their mind at seeing such extravagant stones. The two demons earned a load of money with those, which they later used for their small shopping tour.

But despite this, his words didn’t leave her mind. Her own deals? Favors? How would she manage that? Maybe it was for the better to not think too much about it for now and rather focus on what was right ahead of them.


	17. Arc 4 Part 2

**Arc 4**

**Part 2**

 

At the mall, she dragged him into all kinds of stores. Different clothing boutiques, gift shops, and art supply stores. Eventually their hectic trip came to a halt as they entered an electronics stockist. On one of the top floors, she had a particular interest in the music section.

 

After all, it had been a while since she was last able to listen to her favorite songs. While she put on different headphones, jamming to some of the newer beats of the charts, he was already extremely bored.

 

The entire time they’d been here, he did nothing but trot after her, following her with a neutral expression, almost frowning. Hands in his pockets and not even showing the slightest interest in any of the things she showed him. It was more than clear that all of this was rather an annoyance to him rather than fun.

 

Naturally, they grew a bit distant over the course of the afternoon, and by now she was rather in her own world, not minding him too much. Not to mention, they didn’t buy a single thing yet, despite him having more money in his wallet than she could have ever dreamed off.

 

Switching the earphones, she picked up a particular model. She had seen it in commercials back then, but it was way too expensive for her to even consider owning one. It was a black colored headphone with multi-colored LED and cat ears on top, with a speaker-like texture inside of those ears.

 

As she put them on and the music started playing, she closed her eyes, smiling and nodding her head to the rhythm of the beat. The changing colors of the lights finally gained his attention from across the aisle. Cat ears—his weakness.

 

Seeing her so relaxed with those on, he gushed a little over her, his cheeks lighting up a rose hue. Before he knew it, he was all over her again and placed his fingers over his lips, holding his chin and keeping his mouth covered while lowering his head to not gather any more attention.

 

As he walked over to her, his ears twitched, trying to figure out what kind of music she was listening to. Placing his hands on her shoulders made her flinch and turn around immediately, staring at him.

 

She then lowered the headphones and protested that he had scared her. He quickly apologized, but then held out his hands in front of him, shoving away any further blame. A deep sigh from both of them as she put the earphones back on the stand they were supposed to be on.

 

Still, she had noticed his disinterest in everything today, which was probably due to the fact that all they did were merely mundane human things. As she already turned away ready to get going, he reached out to her and held her wrist tightly, making her stop in return.

 

Facing him and coming to a halt, she crossed her arms over her chest and curiously looked up to him. “What is it?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. Did he finally show a little bit of motivation? That would be a miracle. “Uh, uhm, I uh.” He stuttered, the blush returning even stronger than before to his face.

 

“Yes?” Leaning forward, she moved a step closer. After a thick swallow and a typical collar fix of his, he found some words to phrase what he was trying to say: “Do you want those? I mean, you really looked like you’d enjoy them, you seemed so happy and calm and...” Talking himself into embarrassment.

 

As her eyes lit up and widened, she also second-guessed his offer. Did he really just offer to buy those for her? In a way, she couldn’t believe it and had to make sure. “Are you sure about that? I mean, they are expensive.” She emphasized the last part of the sentence.

 

Slowly, guilt rose within her. Probably because she thought that the money was wasted on someone like her. She loosened up her posture and nervously moved her hand up and down her arm, turning her head away and lowering her gaze to the floor. Her self-consciousness got the worst of her again and pressed her self-esteem through the ground. Truly, now she was sure of it: Such an expensive gift was just a waste of money on her.

 

“Yes, yes I am sure!” His voice broke through her depressive thoughts like a flash of light in the darkest night. “If it makes you happy, money is not a problem, you know.” So, he really meant what he said. Still conflicted on if she should accept it or not, she haggled with herself for a while.

 

Finally, she came to a conclusion. Since she’d really dreamed of having this item for a long time, and it would probably make him feel proud too, gifting her something which gave her joy. “Fine. I’ll let you get them for me.”

 

A soft smile breezed over her face as she looked back up, brushing her fingers through his curls right on the edge of his face, sliding her hands along his jaw. “Thank you.” Getting on her tiptoes, she placed a quick pecking kiss on his lips.

 

He couldn’t really grasp what was happening right there in front of him. His heart suddenly began beating faster, and he grabbed his shirt right over his chest, digging his claws into the fabric. Was this love? Was this what safety, trust, and happiness truly felt like? Such a warm and yet wild feeling.

 

It took him a few minutes to cool off and snap out of it. By the end of their visit to this store in particular, he purchased her those headphones and even carried the shopping bag for her.

 

Holding his free hand, she was filled with excitement while they walked onto the next store in this huge mall. They were far from done with their little shopping tour, she decided. And maybe she could get more interest from him as well. The hope was there at last.

 

As they walked down the long hallway which connected all shops they came across a lingerie store. The women on the posters of the shop window looked so feminine, so mature, so beautiful, it caught her attention. It reminded her of her doubts from earlier and that lady demon who they got the earth-gem from.

 

Almost automatically, her gait pushed him towards the entrance of the said store. Maybe she’d find something nice which would make her look equally pretty to what she imagined in her head. He noticed her shoving and just followed her lead.

 

Inside, she looked around; this store was bigger than it seemed at first glance. Being impressed by the amount of underwear they had in here, she slowly made her way through all the clothing hangers. Being so captivated, she almost forgot he was also still there.

 

A bit further in the back, she finally took a break from storming through the market. Some classic black garment caught her attention. It was nothing of the fancy kind; just a bra with some transparent tulle around the torso area. Nonetheless, she wanted to try it on in one of the dressing rooms.

 

Tugging slightly on his leather jacket, she pointed at the fabric which she held in her hands as she got the one in her size. Once again, he was not impressed. In general, he took this entire store lightly, not even showing the slightest spark of interest. Really, she couldn’t understand at all. Being male and a demon on top, why isn’t he all heated up about a women’s underwear section?

 

Another option would, of course, be that she had to keep her stereotypes in check. Huffing and feeling a bit salty at the lack of attention he showed her, she made her way to a dressing room all by herself and tried the lace on. It took him a few moments before he managed to arrive there.

 

Those minutes she spent all alone in the cabin looking at her small body in the mirror. What she saw was nothing more but a child. A round squished face, big eyes, almost no curves and a squashed down body, barley reaching the high of four foot eleven.

 

She moved her hands over her chest and cupped her breasts. Not even nice clothing could change the lack of curves. All she saw was cardboard, flat cardboard staring back in the mirror at her. Not even noticeable legs or hips she could call her own.

 

A soft sigh from her and he finally managed to peek his head in. Surely that was not good timing, and his sudden appearance startled her for a moment, causing her to turn as red as a tomato all over. “Are you done?” he questioned, impatiently. First, she had to gather herself, coming back to the realm of reality, then she hesitantly nodded.

 

“I would say so.” Already he was about to close the curtain again and go back, waiting for her to change back, then it occurred that she suddenly grabbed his wrist, making him stop. “Wait a second.” That exclamation of hers made him look at her. The light fabric falling on her slight curves on her back while she was jolting forwards to hold him in place.

 

A deep hum escaped his throat, as in ‘What do you want now?’

“Can you look for something which you’d like to see on me?” On second thoughts this was kind of embarrassing. She lowered her head so that her fringe fell in place and cast a dark shadow around her eyes. As lovers, this should not make her nervous, but it still did.

 

For a few moments, both of them froze in place, wordlessly. In the end, to break the awkward silence, he moved his hand out of her grasp, pulling his limb back to where it belonged. “Sure, just wait here. I will be right back.” In all honesty, that didn’t sound like he really wanted to put the effort into searching for something.

 

Meanwhile, she used her time to undress and put the black lingerie back on the hanger, waiting for him to return. Hopefully, he’d pick the right size she thought to herself, twiddling her thumbs in front of the mirror again.

 

This time she didn’t want to look at herself. Just a second later his white strands of hair peeked up again and got her attention. This time he entered the small stall himself and stood right behind her. The space was limited, and she felt his body behind her, the rough fabric of his red shirt rubbing on her skin.

 

In his hands he held a white flowing garment that looked so fancy, so sparkly. Blinking gemstones like diamonds all over in the shape of snowflakes. It really looked like freshly fallen snow on a sunny winter day.

 

Without further ado, he held it in front of her frame and both of them looked in the mirror as a grin formed on his lips. “I think I just got you covered,” he whispered in her ear, while all she could do was swallow, her cheeks becoming a shade of red once more.

 

Even if she tried, she could not turn her gaze away. What he had picked out was beautiful. A mix of a dress worthy a princess, with just with the right amount of sexiness to appeal to her— and probably him. Finally, she turned her head away and faced him.

 

“It’s dazzling.” That settled it. Of course, there were so many more words in her mind which could describe this shiny piece of cloth: Stunning, amazing, overwhelming; those and many more.

 

“Then I’ll get it for you.” Making a quick decision before removing his hand with the fabric, layering the garment neatly over his arm as he did with many of her dresses before. That made her remember: There was no need to check for her size.

 

After all, he had made fitting clothes for her before, so was perfectly well educated about her body and what to get for her. In a way, that was a relief, and a soft sigh escaped her. She quickly changed into her casual clothes again while he paid for her at the register—and this present was just as pricey as the last one.

 

Afterwards, they left the store, he now with two bags in hand.

 

It was already late afternoon, almost evening; the stores would probably close soon. But they still had time for one last thing on their way out. And once more, it was her idea to go there.

 

Close to the entrance area, an ice cream shop was located. The two of them walked past the shop window, she already glued to the glass vitrine, admiring all the different flavors of ice cream: Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and, of course, so many more. It didn’t take long for her to place an order and have her cone in hand. The first cheap purchase she had made today.

 

Now, she decided, they were ready to go back home. Just one step before leaving the building, something sparked in her mind. “Do you wanna try?” She was already offering him her ice cream cone.

 

So far, she had never seen him eating, or rather, drinking anything else but her blood. Do demons even eat, and if so, is it human food? Maybe demons had their own dishes.

 

Anyhow, it took a few moments of him thinking and hesitating before he leaned forward, taking a bite of the ice cream. Some of the melting parts dripped over her fingers and she licked off the sweetness. It was sticky, but for the time being, she wanted to watch his reaction.

 

First, that’s not how you do it; you don’t bite off ice cream. A bit concerned she looked at him as he flinched due to the coldness on his teeth. A shiver ran down his spine and he experienced what looked like his first brain freeze. “You humans really enjoy this?”

 

Just making sure, while his brows knitted. “Well, yeah, duh. But you did it all wrong. You have to lick it.” Still holding out the cone for him, while explaining, “Here, try it again, but with your tongue this time.” A helpless smile rushed over her face and he did as she said.

 

Licking off the dripping, melting cream off the waffle, now he seemed to actually enjoy the taste. “It’s sweet.” Surprise, sugar is sweet. That made her giggle like a child. “I like it.” For the first time, their roles were reversed; she taught him something and eventually he grew to like what she had presented him. He shared a soft smile with her.

 

Hearing and especially feeling that made her feel kind of joyful and she got on her tiptoes, the flavor of the dessert still lingering on her lips as she pressed hers onto his. A very sweet, longing, and romantic kiss followed, where their tongues intertwined.

 

Saliva mixing with sweetness, only to slowly release the kiss before locking eyes with each other. These feelings, those are what humans call… love.

 

By the end of the day, as the two finally left the shopping mall, she finishing up her sweet frozen good, another question randomly popped up. “How long did you anticipate staying here?” Trotting alongside her, it took him a while to answer, his hands back in the pockets of his jacket.

 

“Maybe round about a week? What do you say about that?” For a split second, she had to stop her walk. Did he really just say they’re gonna stay here for a whole week? She really couldn’t believe it. As soon as he turned around to face her, asking why she came to a halt so suddenly, she jumped at him and embraced him with pure happiness.

 

Visibly confused at first, he tried to reply to her excitement by securing her and wrapping his arms around her torso, spinning her around once. Sadly, on the other hand, that high of emotions was very once more short-lived for her, as something else, which was also very important, came to her mind.

 

“Where will we be sleeping?” Good question. Earlier she already mentioned to him that her apartment was empty the whole time and probably already found another owner; so a hotel would probably do. Getting off him, sliding back on her own two feet, a small frown could be seen on her face.

 

He, on the other hand, chuckled, a grin on the corners of his lips. “Don’t worry about that. I already took care of it.” So self-confident and secure. Surely he had planned something, or even maybe all of this.

 

After walking a good ten minutes, they stood in front of the building her apartment was located in. It was a tall skyscraper with tons of flats inside. “But how?” Stuttering in confusion, guessing that he had done something to her old home so that she could keep it. So far, those were the hopes and prayers from her side.

 

“Well, let’s say, your landlord is rather easy to convince.” Again, that devilish grin on his face, his fangs blinking in the last few rays the sun had to offer. In conclusion, he used deception magic on the actual owner of her flat. Whatever would work, she guessed, shrugging it off as normal by now.

 

The two demons entered the building and arrived back at the place she had lived before for years, opening up the door to her small and comfy apartment.


	18. Arc 4 Part 3

**Arc 4**

**Part 3**

 

Later that evening, she was still impressed with how he’d managed to convince her landlord to let her keep her apartment, despite the absence. She sat on the bed, dangling her feet as the rest of the day went on like it usually would when she still lived here.

 

This all almost felt as if they were humans. When the sun was down entirely and stars spread over the night sky, she let out a soft sigh; it was the first night she wasn’t alone in this room. The presence of someone else, of her partner and lover, filled her with warmth. For the first time, she saw him yawn and sit down on the mattress next to her.

 

No doubt about it; he was tired. Was this realm draining his energy as well? It didn’t take long for him to lay down on his side, letting his gaze shift over the place, then his eyes darted upwards facing her. “What are you waiting for? Lay down, it’s time to sleep.”

 

Time to sleep? For him? Really? Well, that was certainly new. Not hiding her amusement, giggling, she put her body down next to him, placing a soft kiss on his lips. He, on the other hand side, nervously looked away, his cheeks lighting up in a faded pinkish color.

 

“It’s been ages since I last needed to sleep. I can’t even remember anymore what it feels like.” He laughed it off, almost comically. Just a soft hum from her in reply as she kept her eyes on him. Naturally, she was tired as well and already closed her eyes for a few moments.

 

“Hey, before we sleep, I have a question.” Bringing up her concerns, while he shifted the blanket over the two of them. “Yes, what is it?”

 

Lowering her head, her fixation fell upon her necklace, playing with it nervously as she twirled her thumb and index fingers around the stone. “What if I run out of magic and change back in front of all the people?”

 

Those were valid concerns since he had warned her about exactly that earlier. Even if she would always wear this necklace, someday soon she’d definitely run out of magic and wouldn’t be able to keep her true form hidden anymore.

 

“Well, let’s say I planned for the worst-case happening.” He lifted his shirt a little and pulled on the string, exposing the little bottle he kept hidden. Shaking the fluid in it lightly, bubbles rose within the tiny glass.

 

“See this? It’s dragon blood.” Oh no, not that gross stuff which smelled so awful. The memories jolted back into her mind, as clear as ever, and she held her nose closed as she could already feel tears in her eyes thinking about the moldy smell of that tincture. “In case of an emergency, drink this.”

 

Her eyebrows knitted and her eyelids closed as she expressed a plea for mercy. Please, anything but that. However, in all honestly, this was a way better fate than getting captured by strangers and maybe sold off to the government as an experiment. After all, demons were mythical creatures for normal humans; they didn’t exist outside of stories.

 

Wanting to distract from this horror scenario in her mind, she inched closer with her entire body, snuggling him tightly and wrapping her arms around his torso, reaching for his back. This was a first,butshetriedtogivebackwhathehadgivenhertimeandtimeagain:Abackmassage.

 

“Hey, what are you doing?” Completely startled, he looked at her, not understanding what was going on. Immediately after, he gave up his protest and just enjoyed what she was doing for him.

 

It came as a surprise to him as her hands softly kneaded where the root of his wings would be located if they were visible. Somehow, she just knew where they would be and pictured them in front of her inner eye. Shortly after, his eyes fell shut, enjoying the calming feeling of this.

 

This was really good; he understood now why it was so important to her and how soothing it actually felt, even better than he would have imagined. A little drop of drool fell off his lip onto the pillows and his cheeks lit up once more. His eyelids became heavy, and slowly he drifted off into the realm of dreams while she continued her ministrations.

 

Seeing how cute he could be made her giggle quietly, and shortly afterwards she positioned herself in his arms. For the first time ever, both fell asleep ever so peacefully.

 

On the next day, rays of sunlight fell through the half-closed blinds on her windows, making them both wake up. In no way was it early morning, rather midday; they almost overslept. Yawning and stretching, she was the first one awake.

 

It was strange for her; she had never seen him sleeping so deeply—or sleeping in the first place. It was a weird feeling, waking up with someone next to you after spending all those years all alone. Her movement woke him and he crawled over her bed, holding her torso, wrapping his arms around her hips, while pressing his face into her soft chest.

 

In this state he looked so sleepy, almost adorable, rubbing his eyes and trying to wake up while she brushed over his white strands. So sweet how he snuggled onto her like a little pet asking for attention; a nice way to wake up.

 

Finally taking a look at the clock—11:30 am, almost lunchtime—she smiled. Sadly, only for a small window of time, until she saw the date on her digital watch standing on its nightstand. It came as a shock to her; it had been almost four months since she was here last.

 

That came as a huge shock, but for the time being she decided to not mind it any further and looked away from those numbers. She couldn’t change it anyway. And what role did time even play for her anymore?

 

Sighing quietly as she finally got up, pulling him out of bed with her, she realized both still wore their streetwear, and judging by the smell it was time for a shower.

 

Compared to his giant bathtub, her bathroom was so small it couldn’t really fit two people into it. As she was already undressing, he entered the bath shortly after her, eager to join her while showering. For a few moments, she peeked at herself in the bathroom mirror.

 

So far, everything looked normal, just like nothing had ever changed. But she knew that was only due to the magical gemstone she wore. She realized that that reflection in the mirror wasn’t actually her true self.

 

“Say, are you sure you didn’t get me pregnant back then?” What an absurd question she asked out of nowhere. Confused, he scratched the back of his head and gave a very special glance, as he could not believe what she just said.

 

Laughing about this silly question made him wake up fully. “Why are you asking that now?” That was the question indeed; why now?

 

“I saw it’s been about four months already and not even once I had my period during that time. Also, I am not on any kind of birth control, as you should know.” Walking up and coming to a halt behind her back, he put one hand on her shoulder, the other on her chin, turning her head and making them both face the mirror.

 

“Silly. Have you forgotten that time has stopped for you, or do I need to re-explain how demons reproduce?” Saying that, his thumb traced over the edges of her jaw. Coming closer, his fangs sparkled dangerously right next to her face.

 

“Female demons only can get pregnant if both of us want you to be.” Maybe third time’s the charm in explaining and hoping she would finally understand that fact. “And so far, I haven’t seen you want it. Of course, me neither.”

 

He caressed her hair, twirling her white locks around his finger a few times before giving the strand of hair a gentle kiss, still holding it in his hand. “I mean, just take a look at your hair. That should prove it.” The mirror reflected the dark sparkle in his green eyes as he looked up.

 

“Your hair hasn’t even grown one inch during all that time. I see no roots, no nothing.” Letting go of her hair by brushing it out with his hand, they quickly landed on her hips and lastly pat her tummy before reeling her in and holding her in place.

 

“And besides, if it’s been already four months according to your human time, you would look way different given your slim body.” For him, this might be all fun and games, but for her, it was a serious issue; after all, she had no money to support a child, and also never wanted the responsibility nor the pain of birthing one.

 

Besides that, how she hated it to be touched at her abdomen. Even if it was just him, she flinched and slapped away his hands quickly, only to hear his continuous laugh which embarrassed her so much. Why was it that every time she tried to be serious, he made a joke out of it?

 

Her hands already wandered to her towel, ready to throw it at him. Deep breaths, control the urge. Her eye was twitching as she stopped herself from doing so, and in the end, just another sigh could be heard as she looked away.

 

“So, are you getting in the shower now or not?” In the time she spent being angry at him, he stripped naked and prepared the shower. Sometimes this man is unbelievable, but not in a good way. “Fine.” Simply replying as she lastly took her underwear off and join him in the hot yet small cabin.

 

For a change of pace, the warm water running down her back felt relaxing and he was already applying shower gel to himself. Using hers, of course, he’d smell like sweet peaches.

 

However, she was still thinking about some things, so she didn’t even notice how several minutes passed. Minutes of silence and stasis. In the end, only his hands gliding over her breasts from behind and then sliding down her sides made her snap out of her trance-like state.

 

There was simply too much going on in her head. What did he want now? Feeling his inappropriate touching, her head perked up. Before turning, she already heard him whisper seductively in her ear, “How about we have some fun. Let me take your necklace off.”

 

Unsure if that was the best course of action given they were in such a small space, but he was already poking one of his sharp black claws against the crystal around her neck. So, fine. She took off the necklace herself, placing it neatly next to the shampoo bottles.

 

It didn’t even take a few seconds until her wings and tail were unfolding in their full glory, though she had to quickly fold her feathers back in if she didn’t want him squished against the wall by them. “You are so beautiful like this.” Complimenting her on her demonic appearance, the smirk of lust still lingering on his lips, pressing her butt cheeks onto his crotch.

 

Knowing where this would go, something poked against her crack; something hard and pulsing. “So, that’s what you wanted?” Honestly, that was to be expected. This time however she was fine with it and gave her consent, even smiling a little deviously herself. She couldn’t deny it, she wanted it too.

 

Slowly, he placed a trail of small, loving kisses down her neck, his arms holding her tightly in place. While he was playing around, his hand found its way between her legs, rubbing the center of her slit, forth and back with stroking motions, eventually trailing circles around her clit with his index finger.

 

That already caused her to pant and moan as she tried to find something to hold onto, only finding the slippy shower wall which wasn’t much of a help. Bending ever so slightly forwards, her knife-like claws left scratch marks on the ceramic tiles.

 

Noticing so, he wanted to balance her out, conveniently putting his hand on her right breast, holding her in place and eventually squeezing it rather forcefully as he kept on murmuring sweet words into her ear. “You are so hot when you are squirming like this.”

 

Another pleasant groan from her as he teased her clit with a pinch just as he got another idea. Testing out something else, he grabbed the root of her tail, sliding along the slick leather leash and holding the pointy tip of it tightly between his fingers.

 

“Let’s see.” He began to rub the tip with his thumb, first caressing, stroking emotions, but shortly after he applied some force. That made her gasp for air as her head turned red the moment after, a loud scream of lust filled the small shower stall.

 

Got her. Just like any other demon female, this spot in particular was so sensitive, and she was no exception. Drool started to drop down her mouth while she breathed heavily, her knees almost giving in, becoming weak from all of this sensation; and quite honestly, in his eyes, they hadn’t even really started.

 

Not even considering letting go of her just yet, he positioned his other hand on her butt, slapping it once, leaving an imprint of his hand. Shortly afterwards, his claws traced down to her inner thighs, leaving little bloody lines all over. Painful, but a pleasant kind of pain that felt so fulfilling.

 

“Now, my Star. Bend over for me.” Commanding her, she followed his orders without hesitation, bending down as much as possible to expose her entrance to him. Getting her so far with teasing only, she wanted it, and she wanted it hard and rough.

 

One didn’t have to tell him twice, and his hard cock was already shoved into her. To her surprise, it was the other entrance than she had expected. Gulping down, small tears formed in her wide-open eyes, panting at this sudden thrust.

 

“Eeek!” Her jarring voice echoing through the room. Maybe anal sex wasn’t for her. Well, at least he could try. After making that experience, he slipped out of her and chose to go for her vagina instead.

 

Tight as ever. But who would have guessed she’d only had sex once ever before, and that was also with him. Now holding her hips with both of his hands, digging his sharp fingertips into her flesh, her tail curled up and she moaned loudly. Feeling his shaft in her send a shiver down her spine which spread all over her body. Much better.

 

Both wanted it so badly, judging by how wet she was and how horny he seemed as well. A long groan from him as he moved his pelvis in a rhythmic motion, screwing up her insides a little. His fangs pierced through the thin skin of his red lips and a drop of blood fell from it. He smirked, enjoying himself a lot.

 

He grabbed her love handles with his claws, making her bleed there a little as well. He also decided to play with her tail once more, which by now was furiously whipping right in front of his nose, asking to be used for satisfaction. Holding it up with his right hand, he softly kissed the spade on the tip before sensually licking over it.

 

That kind of stimulation made her moan loudly, letting out another gasp that almost sounded like she was meowing again. Once more his kink awakened—maybe he only misheard, but anyhow—he continued licking over the tip a few more times before he let it go. The leash like limb immediately wrapped around his hips, the end of it spanking his butt now in return.

 

Kinky, he thought. Rarely has he ever been so turned on. It felt good; never in his life had he enjoyed such good sex as he experienced it with her.

 

After several more squirms of hers, she turned her torso around as much as possible to face him and give him a smirk of confirmation back. Oh, how she enjoyed that moment as well. Still feeling his throbbing penis inside of her, it was tickling her G-spot deep inside.

 

Her legs were so bloody by now, given that he was marking her badly, but there was absolutely no need to worry since those scratch wounds healed up almost immediately after.

 

Then it was eventually time for the climax. Grabbing her breasts again, squeezing them together and staring at her cleavage for a while, he decided to pull her up on his lap, his manhood buried in her vagina. Trying to make her stay in that position, he pressed her body tightly onto his.

 

Yelling out his name in pure lust, she announced: “I’m cumming. Ah!” A loud exclamation as she reached her climax and simultaneously, he came in her, spreading his love juice all over her insides.

 

Shortly afterwards, he let her sink down on him, both panting heavily and coming down slowly from their high. A small break was necessary, her feet slipping over the ground given that her knees were all shivery, and he turned off the water for her, which was running cold by now.

 

“Fuck, you were good.” Cursing for the first time herself so directly and admitting it to him. Still, her body was bending down to recover, but her lips spoke for themselves, smirking.

 

“I know.” His only reply before placing a kiss on her lips and a love bruise on her neck, leaving the shower quickly. After all, he had to mark his Star as his, and this rough kiss should be plenty.

 

One thing was for certain, he definitely had an over-inflated ego, but maybe it was that which made him so charming. She couldn’t deny how hard she fell for him. Yes, that was love.

 

Eventually picking up her necklace again, being able to revert herself, looking humane, he gave her one last spank on her ass before leaving the small bathing chamber completely to get himself dressed.

 

Overhearing what he was saying from the other room: “Better get ready. Today will be your day and I doubt you wanna waste it entirely in the bathroom.” Even a sense of humor was inside of him; definitely a guy to gush over.


	19. Arc 4 Part 4

**Arc 4**

**Part 4**

 

After getting dressed and a good healthy lunch—after all she still liked human food—she brought up her idea of how she wanted to spend the day; her day. “How about we visit my old workplace?”

The art studio, just like her flat, it had been abandoned ever since she left. She wondered how it was holding up without her. “Sure. Get ready then.” If that was what she wanted he was cool with it.

Throwing on his leather jacket, he was ready to go, while she was still putting on her shoes and picking up a small bag in which she stored her keys.

Impatiently, he took the lead out of the apartment, and in her hurry, she completely forgot to lock the door. Which was fixed with a snap of his fingers and some eye-rolling.

This day was a cold day; the sky was overcast with gray clouds—typical for late summer. Despite the rather bad weather, many people walked the streets, chattering. For him, this human talk was all just background noise.

A small but stiff breeze made the leaves of the trees on the sidewalk rattle, as they arrived at the studio after twenty minutes of walking. Looking inside the shop windows from the outside, everything seemed normal.

Door closed; blinds open but no light inside. Maybe a thin layer of dust over everything, extracting the color of all things. Upon peeking in more closely, she noticed her things had stayed untouched; impressive, especially after such a long amount of time of not returning to this place.

It was highly likely that he also had used a trick to keep her studio intact throughout her absence. “I wanna go in first. Alone.” Just as usual, his hands were buried in the pockets of his jacket, an apathetic shrug and a slight groan from him, crossing the street to the other side, ending up leaning against one of the trees planted there.

Still, he was keeping a keen eye on her as she entered through the glass door and the small bell rang. Everything was so familiar, walking around her old workplace, yet it felt so very different. Cold—and the reason for that could not be pinpointed down to the weather alone. No, it was something else, something unfamiliar.

For the first time in months, she was able to admire her old artworks covering up the walls all around that place. The work in progress and her used materials; all of it was ready to be picked up again, used for their original purpose: Drawing. While every artwork was worth a minute to gaze at, her focus shifted towards a very particular piece of art. It wasn’t even fully painted yet, however, one could already see a pile of angels guarding the doors to heaven.

Nothing on the unique side of all paintings, but it was her last work. Remembering before her departure she was working on a specific collection: ‘Demons and Angels’. Silly how things have turned out. The strings of fate had plans for her and the path in life is often unpredictable. In retrospect, who would have guessed this outcome of all things. Now her thumb was tracing over the brim of the piece, brushing off the dust from it.

In the background, the bell rang a second time. Strange, didn’t she say he should wait for her? And it couldn’t be a customer, could it? After all, she hadn’t opened her store in months; why would a customer appear with such precise timing?

Snapping out of her thoughtful state, she turned around, and to her surprise a man with curly blue hair stood in front of her, not saying anything, but his lips were parted. His expression had more of a deer in the headlights look than anything else.

A brown jacket moved stiffly over his shoulders and his facial expression shifted as well: Concerned, almost frowning. This guy—upon taking a second, much closer, look—she had seen him before. Then she remembered more clearly: Mostly this guy was looking at her painting from outside the store. However, not even once had he spoken to her, nor entered through that door. Why was he back now?

“Hello sir, can I help you somehow?” Putting on her most polite voice, the mysterious man stayed quiet for a moment before replying with a question of his own: “Are you the owner of this place?” Shouldn’t that be obvious? After all, he had seen her around a couple of times, despite never interacting.

A nod from her, confirming his request with a humming noise. “Ah, good.” His body stopped being so tense as he let out a sigh of relief. “Are we alone?” These questions started slowly getting suspicious and creepy to some extent.

Leaning to the side, balancing on one foot, she took a glance over to the demon, still waiting on the other side of the street, then stuttering her answer: “Uhm, yeah kind of-” However, before she could finish her sentence, the strange man took a huge step forward, coming uncomfortably close within her personal space.

Then he even took a huge leap forwards, snatching her hands and holding them tightly in a cocoon made from his own. All of this was so confusing, him squeezing her hands like this so suddenly, and she flinched away. Staring at their hands took her a while before she managed to look this man in the eyes again. His face, still unchanged, maybe even more concerned than before.

What did he want from her? Raising her eyebrow, inspecting him once more. “You were never meant to be a demon!” Well, that exclamation of his was very uncalled for. “Excuse me?”

The highly questioning look still written clearly on her face, now she didn’t understand anything anymore. “You were never meant to become a demon,” he repeated, this time a bit sadder, his hands slowly losing their strength. “It’s way too early for you.” Finally letting go of her, his hands sank down back to his sides where they belonged. His touch, it felt uncomfortable; something didn’t sit quite right with it, and as a result she was rubbing her wrists as if she was trying to brush off something.

“You were supposed to die a normal peaceful death in about seventy years, and afterwards become an angel.” This guy surely wasn’t of the ordinary given he knew about all of this demon and angel stuff which she only learned recently. Their eyes didn’t meet as she was still busy cleaning her hands of something invisible.

Fleeing further from him, she took one or two steps back. Once more, mirroring her motions, he stepped closer—too close again for her taste. This time he grabbed her shoulders, holding her in place. A shiver ran down her spine—this was becoming really unsettling now. Could this touchy guy please take his hands off her?

“It’s not too late. We can still reverse the effects and purify you! I can still give you back your life and get this timeline back to the ordinary flow.” How desperate he sounded. “Sir, please calm down,” she pleaded, trying to shove him away from her.

He was talking so much at once; it was rather hard to follow in the first place. And still he did not let go of her. Slowly noticing that this was getting nowhere, he swallowed thickly, taking a step back once more. “Well, I think I should start by introducing myself to get the confusion out of the way.”

That was a good start indeed. Sorting things out one by one, before chaotically going like a bull at the gate. “My name is Charity and I am an angel of the first sphere.” Introducing himself, his hand wandered to his chest, clenching the fabric of his jacket. How unusual, something didn’t sit quite right with her about that and that wasn’t just the fact that his name was so strange.

Another thing popped in her mind: Last time an angel had touched her, it burned like hell. Why didn’t it this time? It would explain the invisible dust she tried to get rid of, but the feeling wasn’t as strong as it should have been. Something about him was off, very off, and it was upon her to figure it out. It took her a few seconds before she managed to reply to him, so deep in her thoughts as she had been.

“Hello, nice to meet you.” Assuming he probably knew her by now, an introduction from her side wasn’t necessary. Still she was so unsure where this conversation would lead as a whole. She gave him a proving look, up and down his body, scanning him. In a way, she was frightened now knowing he was an angel. After all her mentor had taught her, she had great respect of the beings of the other side.

“I am here because I received reports from an angel called Luciel.” The brother of his? Trying to add one and one together, another thinking process started to run in her mind. “He told me that a demon of high rank hurt you and tainted you against your will. Is that correct?”

Well, thinking about it, she remembered that back then she has stated something like that to the angel with the red locks. “Ah, yeah, I guess.” Muffling a little nervous as she was shifting away, her fingers covering a bit of her lower lip. “That is a crime against the laws of our realms. Thank you very much for confirming.”

Her eyes darted back at him for a second. Things had drastically changed since back then. The demon standing on the other side of the street wasn’t the same as he has been the moment they met one another. Slowly, he was learning and bettering himself, improving. Speaking of which, looking out of the window, she searched for him; he was gone. What? Where did he even go?

Before she could protest, the angel was already on his way to overthrow her again. Grabbing her wrists forcefully this time, he pulled her closer, face to face. Repeating his offer from earlier: “It’s not too late, I can make you an angel if you want.”

This guy had distracted her so much that she hadn’t noticed that her mentor was already storming into the store. The bell and his voice piercing through the room ever so sharply finally alerting her: “Let go of her, angel scum!”

Like a scared rabbit, he immediately flinched back, letting go of her in the process. Turning around and raising his hands to avoid any guilt shifted at him. “I am not doing anything. I am only here to restore the order of the universe.” Behind the demon, the door silently fell shut.

A dark grin formed on his face. “Yeah, sure.” His voice sounded sarcastic. Without moving much, the palm of his hand touched the door behind him. An aura emitted from it, like an icy wind, it tainted the room in a cold blue hue.

What was he doing over there? Not daring to make a move, her body twitched a little in anticipation. “I’ll give you three seconds to get out of here and never come back.” Just like the room, his voice was cold.

“You very well know I can’t.” Surprisingly, this strangers voice sounded so calm in contrast, despite the situation he found himself in. “Listen to me. This girl was never meant to become a demon and you forced her to–”

“Enough! Shut up!” Slowly, but surely, he was getting furious, interrupting the other one so abruptly. “I...” Now that guy was shivering too; she saw it on his hand hovering above his chest. “I really don’t want to cause an uproar. I just came here to settle things peacefully.”

The man was defending himself, but the demon did not have the patience for his words. “Tough luck. You shouldn’t have come here.” The aura had taken over the entire room and the girl stood there wordlessly, only being able to watch the scene unfold.

Her eyes wandered around the room without moving her body even one inch, like the eternal ice, frozen in time. She had to suddenly look back at the situation due to what was happening. The tall demon dashed forward without another warning, attacking the angel man with his claws out. His patience was broken.

Swiftly, the other person dodged his outbreak, stepping aside. “Please listen, I really do not want to fight!” he exclaimed, this time a bit louder. His voice was uncertain; he didn’t have the guts to say what he truly wanted, mixed with a hint of regret.

“And I told you, I am not here to talk.” Another assault directed at the man in the dark coat, but once more the demon missed his target. White wings unfolded on the angel’s back, matching in size with the raven ones she had seen on her partner, lifting him up in the air. Luckily for them, the ceiling was high enough to allow such a move.

“Please stop.” All she could do was whimper under her shallow breath, swallowing thickly. Not only was she worried about her supplies and paintings, but also about both of their well-being. Was a fight of this scale truly necessary?

Sadly, her voice drowned in their overheated argument and she was left unheard. Sighing, falling onto her knees, covering her face with both of her hands. Fate was cruel sometimes and what had she gotten herself into again now?

While she was mourning all by herself, they had gotten into a more intense fight, only minding one another. By now the angel even dared to fight back; how bold of him. However, this was only to protect himself from the other ones violent and steady blasts of energy.

After a while, she lifted her hands off her face. Looking around, she noticed that any magic or damage caused by their battle did not affect any of her belongings. The room let everything pass like it did not even exist in first place.

The aura he had created earlier was actually a small break in space-time to enter the twilight zone. A smart move of his to protect what’s important to her before a fight even broke out. In her view, it really showed that by now he truly cared for her.

Her astonishment was interrupted shortly as she saw that the white-winged creature created spears of his feathers, turning gold and shooting out in all directions, holding the hell-born one at distance, even pushing him further back.

The aim wasn’t as precise in the small room they found themselves in, and the dart-like golden feathers were spreading everywhere; the ceiling, the floor, the walls and in the tall demon’s arms he held in front of him to dodge that strike.

Some feathers, however, went past him; their destination: Her. Time itself felt like slow motion and like a flash, he had to react, jumping in front of the small demon who was still sitting on the ground.

He took the hit for her and suffered great damage. It didn’t matter; at any cost he had to protect the girl from this cruel angel’s stab.

A severe wound in her early stage of development from such a strong being could have tremendous consequences for both of them.

For a moment, the angel with the unnatural hair color stood still. Wide eyes and mumbling to himself: “A demon protecting another one of its kind?” Never had he seen something like that before.

Usually, demons were selfish creatures who only fought for themselves, leaving others behind in the dirt without second-guessing. Saving their own skin was their priority.

Silence and staring at one another for a few seconds as the dust settled down and the white-haired hell-creature lowered his arms. Feathered spears stuck in his arms and he was bleeding heavily, the dark fluid dripping to the ground. He really had to take a few deep breaths as that cost him a lot of energy. Lowering his guard to recover from the hit he just had to face, his eyes, however, still determined to fight and protect what was dear to him.

“Impossible.” Finally coming down, folding his white wings back in, he couldn’t grasp the situation entirely. What just had happened turned his entire world view upside-down. That person was not an ordinary demon, for sure. His ways were way too humane. What was wrong with him?

The two tainted ones exchanged a look with one another. He made sure that she was alright, giving her a cracked smirk, showing off he still had the power to go on, but her expression; she was begging for him to stop fighting. However, he took her emotions in the wrong way.

Thinking about it, what she needed was better protection. It was impossible for him to keep fighting and keep her safe at the same time. With a twist of his hand he formed one of his shadow familiars for her. Dust rose above the ground, solidifying and turning into a large wolf. A canine, just like the ones which had attacked her back then, except this one was made out of smoke and dirt.

Definitely, this was the wrong choice of spell. Shaking her head violently, she crawled away from the beast until she hit a wall with her back. The dog, on the other hand, was standing tall, being completely harmless and probably confused about why she was so scared. After all, this magical being was created with the purpose of protecting her. That was the only duty it knew.

Facing the wall, there was no further way to flee. Maybe she should give this wolf a chance. So far, it hadn’t bitten her. Maybe, just maybe, this one had no malicious intent. Still scared, but confident in her actions, she reached out her arm and pat the wild dog’s snout.

Her fingers touched the soft and wet nose of the animal, and it gently head bumped into her hands. It was friendly, after all; it wouldn’t hurt her. And that small interaction built trust in her. Now running her fingers through the familiar’s gray fur.

Seeing her interact so sweetly with his creation made him smile a little. But there was no time for exchanging such warm gestures just now.

Their distraction would cost them a lot. Since they hadn’t noticed that the angel had already prepared another barrage for them. As soon as dark being turned around to face his opponent again, he was hit by a torrent of water—this wasn’t normal water, it was holy water, the most powerful technique of the angels.

“I’m sorry.” So silently that none of them could hear his apology, so really: He did not want to do this, but this was his only opportunity to get out of there before things would get even worse.

The giant wave of water was approaching both of them, an ear-splitting scream of fear from her as she held onto the dog’s fur, pulling him close and hiding her face in it. As if that would be of any help.

Her strong emotions—her will to protect herself—let her magic flow out of her fingers. Little did she know, it actually flowed into the magical being she held onto so tightly. Two different kinds of magic mixing in one creature changed something about it that no one could know of for now.

The wolf was howling as well, trying its best to fulfill its purpose of keeping her safe. Protectively, he stood up in front of the small girl, shielding her against the incoming wave.

Not even the more experienced one of the two was really prepared for such an assault. His last magical resources he spent on creating another layer of skin around him made of pure magic which was supposed to negate the strike.

His calculations did not equate in the end, and the holy water burned holes in his shield and then his skin, leaving scars and wounds all over his body. Usually, small doses of it wouldn’t be a huge deal, but the sheer size of that wave was overwhelming. A strong opponent with one final blast as a surprise.

Not even he was tall enough to stand against that and he had to give up in the end. All of his magic was used up at that point.

As the water finally settled down, he coughed up some of it which had got into his throat. His clothes were soaking wet as well, and battle scars now adorned him. The angel, on the other hand, was just gone; he had probably teleported himself away. But that didn’t matter. At least he was gone, and they were saved.

The barrier around them retreated and their surroundings return to normal. Some of the wounds on his body were healing already; the power of a true demon, impressive. One, however, was not able to close. A painful scar lined right over his right shoulder, spreading down to his chest. Luckily it was hidden underneath the layers of fabric he wore, so she couldn’t spot it right away. Nonetheless, the injury was painful and draining him of his energies.

Very wounded but determined, he was just really worried about her right now, not even caring for his own health. Walking over, he was seeing her deeply buried in the familiar’s fur.

Judging by his injured state, the magical wolf should have disappeared by now, but it didn’t. That was not natural. Even he noticed some things not following the usual flow.

Softly brushing away the white strands of her hair, his touches awakened her and she looked up to face him. Her face spoke for itself; she was tired and baffled. “What just happened?” Her fading voice, so weak and delicate, stuttering.

“Nothing,” he replied with a forced smile. Of course, she wouldn’t just swallow that up and shook her head. “Tell me the truth, how did things lead up to this point?” Got him. Nervously his hand twitched and he seemed paralyzed by her analysis, his mouth standing wide open.

All he had to say to that was a simple shrug. “Well, it looks like I can’t keep that a secret from you. I’ve got some explaining to do.” His eyes zoomed in once more on the wolf-like creature, caressing its fur slightly. Was it dead? No, it was still breathing. It was just exhausted as well, naturally.

A few moments of silence. “Let’s start at the very beginning. A few weeks before we met for the first time in the spring, I already had an eye on you.” He raised his head, looking out of the display window, over to the other side of the street, before continuing.

“See that café over there? I sat there often watching you coming and going to work daily.” A soft gesture, a nod to the side to be precise, hinting that she should look to the other side of the street too. So, she did, then back at him. He couldn’t just leave her hanging like this; there was more explanation needed.

“Almost every single day I saw this man with the blue hair passing by. In all honesty, I suspected nothing. The most that he could be was a nosy yet creepy customer of yours.”

Then he had to confess something to her, since sometimes even a mature demon’s intuition could be wrong: “I have to admit, he did not emit the typical aura angels usually have. Looks like I am not always right.” That mistake was on him, and how he tried to laugh it off. But deep down, that hit him hard; he should have known better.

“So, basically, you have been stalking me for quite a while, because of...?” This was the most important thing for her right now, not even minding the other big talk. “Well, since I laid my eyes on you for the first time, I felt a connection with you.”

In all honesty, that didn’t sound convincing. “...Because you had a feeling?” Not a strong argument, she recapped, and sighed deeply, closing her eyes for a few moments.

A hum and silent nod this time from him. “Seems so. And that connection also seems to have blinded my vision to this suspicious man visiting you daily.” Making excuses now, it seemed. All he did, however, was just talk himself deeper and deeper into trouble.

Once more, awkward silence folded over them like a blanket. “Why a wolf?” Breaking through it and paying attention to the canine who was still resting peacefully. “What do you mean?” Not being entirely sure; after all, that was his familiar—he couldn’t choose what form it will take, and he thought she’d know that.

“Why did you make a canine. A wolf to be precise? Don’t you know, since the incident, I am scared of those kinds of animals.” Oh, that’s what she meant. That made sense. Time for another confession of his:

“Those are my familiars. One of my specialties is the so-called power: Animal Voice. We have the same branch of magic, in that regard. Probably because your magic was born from my magic.” A small pause. “However, the physical shape of the familiar differs from person to person, and mine were chosen to be canines of all kinds. Naturally, they are drawn to me and listen to my orders.”

Interesting, that reminded her of the panther and the kitten she saw back then in her vision. Hers seemed to be felines, the exact opposite to his. In some way that was ironic. But now wasn’t the time to think about that.

Suddenly, it clicked in her mind. Those wolves back then in the forest; they were his fault. Her eyes widened, her eyebrows raised, and her mouth snapped open, ready to yell at him. He was the one who influenced her timeline and caused all these events to happen. Without him, what she saw in the mirror would have come true.

Her hands shook a little. In all actuality, she couldn’t believe it. Swallowing her anger was all she could do at the moment, because his expression was resentful as he lowered his head. Finally, he seemed to truly understand what she had felt back then and felt right now. He had come a long way.

Seeing him like this made her soften as well. “I’m sorry for what I did to you.” An apology from him. Could she really be mad at him? After all, he was also the one who saved her. In the aftermath, she was unable to hate him for that despite having every reason to.

Cupping his face with her small, soft hands, caressing over his cheekbones with her thumb, she gave him a soft kiss on the lips as a sign to show him that she accepted his apology. She had forgiven him already.

Both shared a long gaze with one another, looking into each other's eyes and souls simultaneously. “I have never told you, my animal...” A smile on her lips to ease the mood. “…are felines.”

Finally revealing her animal was a big thing for demons, especially since she made herself vulnerable through that. His joy about it was short-lived since, despite the smile on her face, he could read from her body language how tired she actually was.

Not much longer and she’d just faint, revealing her true form. That being a huge no-go in the human world, he had to prevent that from happening. Time was short and the seconds ticked away.

Revelations and confessions were all fine and dandy, but there was a much more serious problem arising and it showed itself the moment after.

Just the second after her lips closed, turning silent, consciousness left her body and she slid down on his chest.

As expected, the shape-shifting magic wore off and her wings showed, together with all the other well-hidden features.

On the other hand, the dog finally finished its nap, shaking out his fur from the dust and water. Once more, he questioned himself: How was that possible? Never had he seen a familiar like this before.  
Still moving, still breathing, even after the fight. Almost as if it was its own sentient being. But that was a problem for another time.

Now, he had to focus on the exhausted girl in his arms. And one thing was for certain; in his weakened state he wouldn’t be able to carry her home all alone, nor hide her properly from the eyes of the crowd.

Having one last ace up his sleeve, or better said, underneath his shirt: The small bottle with the dragon blood he had packed before their departure.

Now was the perfect time to use it. Pulling it out on the thin string, removing the cork with his sharp fangs, he brought the small ampule close to her lips.

“You have to be really strong now.” Totally aware of how much she hated the smell alone, not even thinking about the awful taste. Holding up her small body, letting her head fall into her neck, he poured the dark red liquid in her mouth.

Even he had to admit the scent was horrific; sadly, there was no way around that. Probably, he would manage to stay hidden between all the humans until they were back home again; she, on the other hand, did not have that luxury without the potion.

This was an emergency and the situation needed drastic measurements. It took a while, but with the right actions of his, he made her swallow the thick essence; all of it in fact. Maybe it was for the better that she was unconscious during the entire process. Putting back the small glass, he lifted her up over his shoulder.

It was time to go. The magic would take a while to revive her body, but it was enough for her to not attract any attention, together with the help of the pendulum around her neck. Time was a limited thing for humans after all, and now for the two demons as well.

He was fully aware he had to hurry back to the apartment while concealing himself and his new animalistic companion. Securing her tightly, he silently made his way out of the store, sealing the door and leaving behind this nothingness.

On the way home, he turned his head towards her and whispered, his voice deep and quiet: “Say, do you believe in guardian angels?” No answer, of course. She was still unconscious, after all. The canine trotted next to him gave him a look at that question.

A small chuckle escaped his lips, his hands were gliding over the back of her smooth legs. “Maybe, I am your guardian demon.” Humans would probably call it the red string of fate or whatever. But who would know if things like that actually existed?

An inaudible moan from her and slight twitching of her eyes. Did she understand what he just said? No, that was impossible. Or was it?


	20. Arc 4 Part 5

**Arc 4**

**Part 5**

 

The moment they got back to her apartment, he let her collapse on the bed. By now, all the leftover magic was wearing off and both of them looked exhausted. Covering herself in her heavy wings, she had a peaceful sleep on her soft bed, the wolf resting beside her.

 

He gave the dog another pat over its head then dragged himself over to a chair. Finally, his well-deserved rest. Sinking down on it, he also let his natural appearance show. What other option did he have at that point?

 

His calm and peace were cut short, however, as he heard a knock at the window. No, that was pecking. His eyes peeked over and a black bird came into his view. This was no ordinary bird; it was a raven—and that one wasn’t asking for food.

 

Oh, no. His eyes sprung wide open, cold shivers running down his spine; he knew this bird very well. Without further hesitation, he opened the window and let the carrier creature in. Like it was trained, it landed on his arm, leaving room so that the white-haired male could untie the paper roll on the animal’s claw.

 

It was a message; silently he got to read it, feeling his heart beat faster and faster. This was no good, absolutely no good. Never before had one seen him panic so much as he did at the moment. Furiously, his hands messed up his bangs as he ran them through strands of hair.

 

That feeling of anxiety didn’t stay hidden for long and their new pet got up, howling ever so quietly while poking its nose onto his legs. Despite his panicky state, he was able to send the raven away as fast as it came in. In the end, he slammed the window shut and crumpled the paper in his clenched fist.

 

“I don’t have time to play with you right now.” Expressing urgency to the animal still stubbing its nose against his feet, between gritted teeth of his own. Angrily he shoved the piece of paper down in the pockets of his jacket. There was no time.

 

He walked over to wake her, but the loud sound of the slamming window had woken her already. Drowsily blinking and rubbing her eyes, she tried to focus him. “What happened?” Her voice was so very sleepy while she was in the process of waking and sitting up.

 

“No time to explain.” He was in a hurry as he grabbed her hand and pulled her up from the bed fully. “We have to get back home to the castle, immediately!” Literally, no time was wasted, and he created a portal back to their true home—the demon realm.

 

Before she could even react properly, he was already dragging her into it. “Wait, what about my shopping bags?!” No answer; there were definitely things of a higher priority right now.

 

“Welcome home, son.” A familiar deep, dark voice for him could be heard just behind the newly arrived demon. “I’ve been waiting for you.” As he turned around as fast as possible, he saw the huge stature of the person. But not just any person; it was someone he had already expected to see.

“Hello, father.” His voice cracked and so did his nervous smirk; keeping calm was like accomplishing an impossible feat in this situation. “It’s been a while.”

 

The low voice of the tall man with the threatening aura echoed through the doorway: “Seven-thousand years, to be precise.”

 

“You’ve grown up, young man.” He continued his sentence and finally let the smaller one speak. “And you are the same old grumpy guy as you have always been.”

 

One did not need glasses to see that their relationship was of the rather special kind. That is to say, quite broken but also witty judging by their exchange of words.

 

Their arguing continued and she overheard some bits and pieces of it: “… I am your guest, and so far, you haven’t offered me a drink or a seat. Where are your manners, my son?” He sounded so smug saying that.

 

In return, the younger one only replied: “What do you know of manners, dad?” Emphasizing their relationship with one another in a mocking fashion. “I don’t know, didn’t your mom teach you some?” That one hit hard and deep.

 

For a few moments, the two forces of nature stared at each other wordlessly. A loud gasp from him, followed by some grumbling. He then approached her, whispering: “Don’t talk to him. Keep your calm and stay quiet under any circumstances.”

 

Nodding that she understood, she swallowed heavily. Afterwards, he was turning around to his father again: “My mistake. Please follow me.” Now sounding way more polite, inviting him to advance further into his castle. However, she could hear the spite in his voice clearly.

 

In a blink of an eye, the mood of the situation had changed drastically. But still, she was well aware that this attentive host facade of his was more than fake. She could feel it, that heavy burden he was carrying with him now, the tense air between them. One could cut through that with a knife.

 

And so, the three of them walked further through the dark hallways. Their goal: One of the upper chambers of the building. That door at the end of the corridor, she remembered it vivivly; that symbol, that mark of a bloody rose on the door with the splintering dull paint.

 

That was none other than the room he had brought her to all those weeks ago; that very room in which he tainted her innocence. But why? Why did it have to be that room?

 

Opening the gnarled door, he let everyone go in and gestured for them to sit down. His father declined with his hand raised and a shake of his head, and the little one sat down on the soft chair she had sat on before, shifting her hips from left to right in a tense fashion. The leftovers of the furniture he had smashed against the wall were still there—seems like he hadn’t cleaned them up yet. Nor did he ever intend to.

 

“So, what gives us the honor of your visit?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back over a small wooden desk on the side of the room. “Oh my. Always in such a rush.” Mocking his son once more, that one, however, only made him raise an eyebrow in silence.

 

“I think my letter should have explained that, didn’t it?” Letter? What letter? After all, she never got to see that letter, nor did he ever tell her about it. Confusion on her face, but she kept her quiet and upright position. On the other hand, he didn’t have time for any of his father's acts and gritted his teeth while shoving the crumpled letter even deeper down his pockets. “No, it did not.” A loud yet deep laugh from the throat of the tall man. “My fault then.” Not even slightly taking his son seriously.

 

Approaching the little girl and standing behind her, he held onto the backside of the chair she was sitting on. For a moment his eyes darted aside, and the father noticed the mess his son had caused during one of his little rages—the tattered chair. “You miss your mother a lot, don’t you?”

 

His voice sounded so provocative and her ears twitched up; even she could understand the intent behind that. Meanwhile, the two of them exchanged a long glance across the room.

 

“Certainly, that is not the reason why you are here.” Not falling for that little trick of his father, the demon's voice was collected despite the itchy situation. There were far more important matters. Another battle was counterproductive, so no. Not right now.

 

It indeed took a few more seconds of absolute silence and some deep inhaling before the man continued his little speech. “Yes, you are right, my son. I am not here to talk about your mother. But instead...” Walking around the chair, fingers tapping thoughtfully on his lips. Eventually, he came to a halt right next to the tiny girl.

 

In a matter of seconds, the strong one grabbed her delicate chin, turning her head and forcing her to look at him. “I am here to ask _her_ a few questions.” Her blood ran cold in her veins at being face to face with such a powerful and intimidating creature.

 

At the same time, she remembered what her bonded one advised her earlier; she just had to keep silent. Her eyes avoided the piercing gaze and looked over to her partner for help. Despite the expectations, he just gave her a nod, signing her the permission to talk to his father.

 

“Go ahead.” However, his voice spoke for itself; he really disliked how his own father was now treating his Astéri. “I am glad you are complying, my little one.” Was he really calling the demon over there ‘little’? Wow, that impressed even her. If this situation wasn’t that tense, she would have giggled about that. But then again, it was only to mock him, provoke him, and served no other purpose than that.

 

“So, tell me, how did you two meet? And please do not leave out any details.” A shady grin formed on his lips as he then let go of the girl, who immediately looked away from the tall man.

 

Stuttering at first, her voice was so small and quiet: “It all started about four months ago...

“It was just another day at work, and I wanted to relax in a secret spring deep in the forest. I’d been there a couple of times already; nothing had ever happened. So, that day as well, I was totally unaware...”

 

Slowly her voice was echoing out through the room as she let her glance wander between the two people. “I was oblivious to a pack of wolves approaching me. For them, I was just a snack.” Now her already tiny voice started to sound sad with a hint of disappointment at having to recite that.

 

Nonetheless, she had to continue: “And, well, then he came to save me before I was completely eaten up by them and just brought me here. That is all.” As she said so, she looked over to her bonded one and then back to the father figure who was still tapping his lip with his finger thoughtfully. From her perspective, it was clear that the one who saved her also waited for it to do so. Basically giving her to the wolves for a few seconds.

 

“Interesting. And then? What happened afterwards?” It took a while for her to sort out her memories of that day. But as soon as she remembered, her face turned entirely red and her tiny voice became even smaller. Stuttering once more, only parts of a sentence slipped out:

 

“H-he… took my vir-virginity.” The deep dark laugh from earlier returned and the rather buff man stepped closer to the little one again. “You are a curious one. Usually, young demons brag about their first time. But you… you are certainly something different.”

 

Shame filled her even more, hearing someone else saying all of this. The memories became clearer to her mind and she just wanted to hide herself. Did this guy also know that it happened it his room? Hopefully not. Raising her head a little, she faced the man again.

 

Before he continued mocking her, the other one interrupted him: “Leave her alone.” Such a strong and fierce command all of sudden made the older one look up in surprise as well. “Don’t worry, young man. I will ask about your version of the story in a second.”

 

He had such a dark and dirty smirk on his face while he said so. “Come on little one, continue. What happened after he fucked you?” Now emphasizing the word ‘fuck’ once more. Damn, he really found something to pick on.

 

Looking up from where she was, the demon on the other side of the room shook his head as their eyes met again. It was for the best that she didn’t answer that question, leaving it up to him to do so. Therefore, she stayed silent and just stared at the guy in front of her. “I don’t remember.” She lied herself out of the situation.

 

Of course, the older one didn’t quite believe her. “So, so. Is that so?” However, he let it drop and finally stopped poking questions at her. The time to ask his son came earlier than expected, and he approached that very person.

 

“Maybe you can fill the gaps in her memory?” He was so sure about that, placing his arms behind his back and standing upright, looking even more dangerous than before. And there was it again; that dirty, smug grin.

 

The younger demon, however, did not even flinch in the slightest and actually gave him the answer he demanded: “As an experienced demon, you should know what came afterwards. Simply I asked her to become a demon, and she said yes. Therefore, I turned her into one. That’s all there is to it: Just a normal ceremony. Now leave us alone.” Wow, he was in such a hurry to get rid of his father right now.

 

Without turning around, the eyes of the big one wandered down, speaking to her once more. “Can you confirm that, young one?” For a second, a shiver ran down her spine and she flinched, jolting upwards, even letting a small gasp escape her lips.

 

“Yes, sir.” She answered him as professionally as possible. “Ah, fine then.” The man shrugged and walked a few more steps through the room, coming to a halt just a few inches away from his son.

 

“You know, I really like your Astéri. Good choice, young one. One day she will grow into a strong demon.” Such a sophisticated compliment out of the blue; that was unexpected. “However, some things cannot be changed, regardless of how much we want that.” Gesturing like he was in a stage play, this person knew more than he wanted to admit, that much was for certain. His son didn’t even have to tell him the rest of the story.

 

“What is that supposed to mean?” Hissing that question, as she was still not up for games, clenching his fist and losing his calm once more.

 

A loud sigh from the intruder: “That means, you are on trial for attacking a human and tainting them against their will, as well as messing with the natural order of space-time. You had better prepare yourself; you have a lot coming at you.” Well aware what that would mean, his expression softened, and he was shaken.

 

All in all, he couldn’t believe it. The tall man turned to him, both high-key aware of the situation they found themselves in. “The demon council will decide your fate very soon. Good luck defending yourself, my son.”

 


	21. Arc 5 Part 1

**Arc 5**

**Part 1**

 

“What?!” He simply couldn’t believe it. On trial? He hadn’t done anything wrong. Or had he?

 

Luckily for him, shortly after announcing this, his father left the castle. Now, only the two of them were left. Still lingering in the same room they were previously in, walking up and down furiously. Never before had she seen him so all over the place.

 

“This is bad, this is really bad. How did this even happen?” Mumbling fast to himself, he chewed on his long claws. That he would do such a thing when in a pinch was interesting.

 

On the other hand, she was just confused: “What does it mean when a demon is on trial?” Nothing good for sure. “A lot of things. A lot.” Stopping in the middle of the room, he looked up to the ceiling.

 

“First of all, we have to get you ready. They will interview us separately and I need to teach you how to behave when you are face to face with them” Turning his head to look at her, he continued, “One wrong move and we are both done for.”

 

She understood that this was a sensitive matter on a larger scale. Quickly after, he shooed her back to her dorm in which their new pet already waited. Upon entering the room, the large animal rose its head and looked at both of them, its expression questioning.

 

That gave him a sudden idea. Somehow, he had to make sure that she wouldn’t panic during the trial, and that familiar of his would be perfect for the occasion. Surely giving her a companion would help out in not making her all fussy.

 

Coming closer to the dog, he bowed down and lectured it: “Listen, little one. You will stay by her side at all times. Is that clear?” Warning it by raising his index finger, but the canine understood, seen by its ears twitching up.

 

He gave the dog a little pat on the back, and after a short stretch, it stood up and guarded the door, making room for the demon girl to sit down on her bed.

 

Walking up and down in front of her bed, he kept his teacher attitude up, his index finger still raised high. “Let me instruct you first.” Starting and then clenching up his hand, clearing his throat and coming to a halt, he turned away from her.

 

“The demon council is a union of the seven strongest devils. Those who have proven themselves worthy get invited. Until they die or a replacement is needed due to other factors, they keep their position.”

 

Turning his head slightly towards her, his eyes looked at her, half serious but with a hint of discomfort as well. “Every devil receives the name of the sin they represent. I think you should be familiar with those, given your preexisting knowledge about our kind?”

 

While quizzing her a little, he stepped closer and raised an eyebrow. She could answer in a perfectly fine fashion: “Pride, Lust, Wrath, Envy, Gluttony, Sloth and Greed.” Very good, she still knew her stuff. Being so proud of his student, his expression changed to a grin and he stepped back, standing up straight again.

 

“I think you also remember what I taught you way earlier. About our creator and ruler.” Taking a deep breath before continuing, she already replied, “Satan?” rather as a question than a straight answer.

 

Hearing so, he let out a soft hum of confirmation, followed by a nod. She was right. “She is the leader of all demons and devils and also the highest judge in all of our realm.” That would mean, she would be present too. Such a strong force, such a high leader. And she, she would meet that one soon. Definitely frightening in one way or another.

 

Almost not daring, she raised her hand since she had a question. “Yes?” Upon turning his face towards her once more, he placed his hands behind his back. “Do the angels also have something like this?”

 

Curious little one, but that’s how he knew her. He took a long and deep breath before he was able to answer: “The Seven Heavenly Virtues. So, of course.” With that, the conversation was cut short for now.

 

“However, since we will be meeting such an important person, we have to dress you properly. After all, you have to impress them.”

 

Unsure if that was even possible, she should at least wear appropriate clothing for the big event. A trial wasn’t just some sports festival one could wear whatever. Following the dress code for such an occasion was a must.

 

Opening the winged doors of her wardrobe widely, he rifled through her clothes until he found a dark evening gown; grabbing a petticoat as well to fluff things up.

 

Just a moment later, he waved her over and told her to undress. The entire time his thoughts were still lingering on what he had just taught her, therefore seeming kind of absent.

 

As she was finally fully undressed, he put the underskirt on her like she was just some dress-up doll. However, she did not complain about it. Maybe she even liked it, the whole idea of being dressed by someone else. After all, it did make her feel like a princess, and a soft grin formed on her lips, accompanied by a faded blush.

 

He noticed so as well, and the thought of a princess-doll made him chuckle internally for a second.

 

Finally, he only had to close off the zipper of her attire on the backside. The entire time, she had been quiet, but now she spoke up again: “Say, can I become a member of the demon council as well?” That question caught his attention and he snapped out of his trance. Why would she even want that?

 

“No, only devils or naturally born demons can.” Simple as that. His voice was so curt, just like he didn’t want to talk about it at all anymore. “Oh, alright then.” Well aware that she was definitely not a natural born one, poking further on that subject would lead nowhere.

 

Spinning a few times, she looked at herself in the mirror; the dress was quite heavy but so elegant. “Hm, something is missing,” he stated, while mustering her and tapping his chin thinking about what it could be.

 

That issue solved itself within a few seconds; opening a drawer he pulled out a Gothic-looking choker with a green gem attached to it, and placed it around her neck. “Now the outfit is perfect. The council will love you.” Reassuring her with a calm voice, he placed a kiss on the top of her head.

 

“We should get going now. There is still some stuff to prepare, so please follow me.” And with that, he didn’t only mean her but also the dog, who was still resting in front of the door to her chamber.

 

He led them towards some kind of lab further down in the castle. All sorts of strange potions were scattered around multiple shelves and the collection of all sorts of mixtures was truly impressive. The dog settled down again near the doorway, waiting patiently.

 

“Obviously not only your looks matter but also your behavior towards the council.” He started lecturing her again. “Be quiet under any circumstances, and only answer when you are asked directly.” This was the most important thing he said to her while sorting out some test tubes and inspecting them closer.

 

“And in the case that you are asked, say nothing but the truth. Do not leave out details but also don’t talk too much.” Now mixing some of the fluids and shaking the little glass cylinder around. “I understand.” Was all she said, in a soft yet serious voice.

 

Good. As he turned around, he added a few drops of another tincture, and the liqueur in the flask turned into a bright minty color. “To make things easier for the two of us, drink this.” Such an abrupt statement as he held a heart-shaped bottle towards her.

 

To her surprise, it was no muddy substance which smelled like it came out of the sewer this time. Instead it was a pretty glowing turquoise fluid with a fresh smell to it; comparable to mouth wash maybe.

 

However, she was still suspicious of it. “Before I drink anything, what even is that?” Sighing, just like he knew she’d ask that. Lowering his arm with the bottle, he began to explain a little: “This is some special elixir.” Beating around the bush very much.

 

Crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow, the suspicious look on her face did not vanish whatsoever. “Ah, fine.” Taking a deep breath, he started explaining what he had mixed. “This so-called elixir will make you fall asleep for a while.”

 

That certainly did not make things any better. “And why do you want to send me to sleep?” Additionally, he now had to reassure her as well: “Trust me, everything will be fine in the end.” He waved his hands in front of him, loosening up just a little.

 

“The court is a really harsh place, and soon bailiffs will come here to take you away. Trust me, those guys aren’t very gentle.” Looking aside for a moment, he continued: “If they find you unconscious, they have no other choice than to carry you, and you won’t have to see any of their cruelty.”

 

With that explanation in mind, the plan didn’t even sound half bad. Her expression softened, and so did her stiff posture. “Okay, fine. For how long will I be sleeping?” That was another question lingering in her mind.

 

“For exactly long enough that you are awake again when you have to be.” Taking a sharp breath, that was kind of a vague answer. But fine. He probably knew what he was doing, or so she hoped, at least. Finally complying with a nod, she came closer as he brushed over her lower lip with his thumb.

 

“It won’t hurt, and you will be fine, I promise.” Kissing her quickly, he brought the bottle close to her mouth, parting her lips ever so slightly and letting the elixir seep in. He was right; it did not hurt, but despite the minty smell, the potion itself tasted moldy, maybe even a bit foul. Not really a pleasant taste after all, but it could be way worse, and she was highly aware of that.

 

She sipped up every last drop of the contents of the bottle eventually. “Goodnight, my Star. We’ll see each other soon again.” Those were his last words as she swallowed the liquid, and her vision became blurry, slowly sinking into a deep slumber. Before she fell over, he caught her and held her up in his arms.

 

With that, he waved their new pet dog over and placed her softly on his fur. “You know what to do, buddy. Stay by her side and protect her at all costs, for as long as I can’t.” Like a good guard dog, he understood and howled as a sign that he would follow that order until its last breath, taking the young demon girl into its care.

 

Now all which was left to do was to wait until it was time for the trial.


	22. Arc 5 Part 2

**Arc 5**

**Part 2**

 

 

“You are just jealous that I got your position,” a squeaky voice echoed towards her.

 

“Ironic, that coming from a demon with the literal name of ‘Envy’.” She heard a familiar male demon as well, who didn’t seem pleased. Despite regaining her consciousness and opening her eyes slowly, everything around her stayed dark.

 

In the back of her mind, the rattling of chains could be heard, and she felt something cold under her legs, as well as something heavy around her wrists. Lifting her arms, she could feel that she was wearing a blindfold.

 

Off to a good start, she supposed. “Would you two stop fighting and get ready? The trial is about to begin.” A third voice joined, and that one she noticed as well. That deep voice belonged to no one else but his father.

 

This was a really iffy situation, and anxiety rose inside of her. Then a wet, soft nose touched her fingers; it was the wolf he had sent with her. A quiet calm whimpering confirmed so. At least she wasn’t all alone in this.

 

“Attention everyone. Bow down and greet our highest leader. Ruler of all the underworld realms. Her majesty: Satan herself.” What a pompous instruction, but not really a confident, unfamiliar voice. In the distance, she could hear footsteps coming closer, as well as a pair of heels clicking over the ground.

 

More than one person was approaching. Suddenly the sound of the steps stopped. “How rude of you to completely forget about me.” Another new voice, this time a female one. “I’m so sorry your highness.” The announcer sounded nervous, trying to correct his mistake. “Our overall ruler is accompanied by her girlfriend today. Please, everyone, show respect to our honorable guest, ‘Lust’.”

 

What the little girl in chains could not see was that everyone was bowing, and that that new woman smiled deviously at the one who just introduced her. “Off with his head. He is useless, and I don’t want any servants who make mistakes.”

 

Promptly after that, the man was taken away by some bailiffs, the poor guy screaming and begging for mercy. “No, no, your highness. Please reconsider your decision. I won’t repeat that–” Shortly after, his begging drowned into screams only, and his fate was decided, yet unknown to all the people in the room.

 

Meanwhile, Satan herself took a seat on her heighten throne at the end of the courtroom. “Lust, please. You have to be more attentive when choosing our personnel. Situations of this kind could be avoided then.”

 

Impatiently tapping her long claws on the side of her chair. “Of course, my dear.” A strong, cold glare over the little crowd who has been gathered down there. “I am on a schedule, and for now I really don’t want to deal with such unimportant matters. Lust, please remove our victim’s blindfold.”

 

Said and done. A metal door squeaked behind the girl as the demon woman stepped in, removing the cloth around her head. Immediately after, the female stepped out and closed the door again. At last she could see what kind of situation she was in:

 

She was completely imprisoned in a human-sized birdcage. As soon as the door swung shut, the cage moved again and the chains rattled, lifting her up the ground and having her loom in a presenting fashion over the courtroom for everyone to see her miserable state.

 

This was no good. Down there, she saw the buff figure of the father in comparison to the smaller white-haired demon and two unknown ladies. One of them quickly made their way up the many stairs, joining her girlfriend there.

 

While walking, the prisoner noticed how skimpily that woman was dressed. Her clothes barely covered anything; most of her body was covered by her curly blond hair. Finally, the woman settled down next to the ruler.

 

It seemed that the name ‘Lust’ really fit her. The two powerful women were on high ground so she could only half make out the frame of the other person – Satan. She also didn’t seem to have much of an interest in clothes.

 

In fact, that one was completely naked with only long white strands of hair covering her up. Without a doubt, both of them were truly beautiful. They could show their bodies off like it was nothing. However, she knew it wasn’t the right time for lusting after other females’ bodies. And still: Inside of her arose this peculiar feeling again: She wanted to be just like them.

 

All of the demon females she had seen so far had impressive body proportions, shining hair, a beautiful face, and such an attractive figure. Now she could see once more how much she wasn’t like any them, how much she really did not fit in with the others. That tight feeling inside her ribcage brought her down immensely.

 

But now was seriously not the time for insecurities of that kind. The one girl left down there with the other two males, stepped forwards. Well at least, she had short hair. However, even from the kind of distant view from above, the girl in the cage could see the gigantic rack adorning the female demon’s front.

 

So, after all, she was just like the others she had seen before. Her eyes wandered off to the side, as the one down there began to speak formally:

 

“We have gathered here to judge over the case of Demon No. K006, the son of one of our council members — ‘The Raven’. Born a fallen angel on June 11th 18981 BC., tainted shortly after birth. Mother decayed. No children of his own.” Taking a small break from reading out facts from a sheet of paper in a monotone fashion, she eventually continued.

 

Clearly, the demon she was speaking of was uncomfortable as hell. “Once applied to become a member of our council, denied due to birth circumstances. Now registered as a tutor for young demons. Desmós was formed not long ago with a human girl.”

 

Finally, she was done with blandly stating facts, flipping over the page she was reading from. “You are on trial for interacting maliciously with a human and tainting her against her will, despite our laws clearly stating that any influence on earth dwellers is strongly prohibited.”

 

So, that’s what all of this was about. “Thank you, Envy. Please step back now.” The blonde woman spoke up from her high ground. The caged girl noticed her voice, immediately concluding that the blonde woman up there must have been the one who took off her blindfold.

 

Now that she had taken a few steps forward, the chained-up demon could take in her full frame more clearly. Like this, she was even more beautiful, but something was unfitting for her demonic nature. Wasn’t golden hair usually associated with angels? However, her toxic green eyes reminded the girl of a snake. So, something was clearly off with that woman.

 

“May the culprit now step forth and defend themselves against the accusation?” Saying so, she looked back down to her partner again. Not having much of a choice, the male walked up a small pedestal and placed his hands on some sort of railing.

 

A moment later, metallic yet rusty shackles snapped shut around his wrists. “Hey! What is that supposed to mean?” he shouted at the authorities, who only gave him a death glare, signing to him that he better be quiet. The angelic, yet demonic lady spoke up again: “It is to make sure you speak nothing but the truth. Your silver tongue is well known among the folks of our realm.”

 

“And what do you want to do if I lie?” he asked, still protesting. Satan herself rose her arm now, signing for Envy to push down a lever at a wall placed to the left side of the room. The moment after, thousands of volts were sent through his entire body and he cried out loud in pain.

 

The girl couldn’t even look at such a cruel scene, covering her face with her palms and gasping in shock. This council was nothing to mess with. He was right, so very right about them.

 

“I think that explains it.” Growling, breathing heavily as he tried to calm down, his fists banged on the railing in front of him. “Yes, thank you for that demonstration.” Clearly he was very unhappy with what just took place. After all, his entire body was fried, yet he was still standing. In some way, it was impressive.

 

“To make things clear from the beginning: Every time you try something, the volt dosage gets doubled,” the woman added, giggling sadistically, obviously enjoying seeing what had just happened; to see him in pain. And surely, she wouldn’t abstain from doing it all over again.

 

“The trial is now in session!”


	23. Arc 5 Part 3 (First Half)

**Arc 5**

**Part 3**

 

 

 

The courtroom was truly something else. Despite the fancy attire and the red satin curtains everywhere, it was cold, harsh and cruel. Never before had she seen such an ambivalent room. The cage in which she was still sitting in dangled above it all, and she could take in the entire view of the chamber beneath her.

 

She hoped for the best, as the real challenge began now:

 

“The culprit is guilty until proven otherwise. Demon K006 is accused of interfering with the human world in a way which disrupts the space-time, as well as abducting a human child against their will, despite our laws and contracts prohibiting such behavior.” Perfectly summing up why any of them were here.

  

Now was the time to prove himself, as he was already called to the witness stand to defend himself. “Your honor, I plead not guilty.” Starting off with his demand immediately. That was way too early without any explanation and another dosage of electricity was released into his body.

 

Shaking as he tried to collect himself to withstand the doubled amount of volt, becoming even more difficult than the first time.

 

Meanwhile, Satan was just twirling her hair between her fingers. “Why?” was the monotone question back.

 

The man down in the room was slowly calming down and recovering from his punishment. “Let me explain, your honor.” Taking a deep breath as he was collecting himself. “You see, I just happened to be in the human world as I saw her passing by.”

 

Slowly looking up to explain his story, while the great leader also focused on him. On the other hand, the blonde woman seemed uneasy and was jolting forwards, held back by her girlfriend who was indeed curious about what the man had to say.

 

“So, I followed her that afternoon to the forest. I knew it was a dangerous place and my only reason was to protect her from any approaching wildlife or–” Before he could even finish his sentence, the next shock followed, and he was fried again.

 

Painful screams and groans filled the room, making it clear that he was lying. His father just shook his head in disappointment while crossing his arms. After a few more heavy pants, he started anew:

 

“Fine, fine. I have watched her for around about two weeks, since I felt a strange connection to her after seeing her silver hair sparkling in the moonlight that first night.” Envy was already on to push down the lever, but this time he was speaking the truth.

 

Lust finally spoke up again: “So, you admit that you stalked her and purposely followed her?” That in itself was no crime, but it seemed like that woman up there wanted to make it one. Why did she want him to be guilty so much?

 

Once more, the angelic demon was held back by her partner, hissing over to her: “Let him finish.” Visibly displeased about that, but she could not speak against the highest power of all devils and demons. She knew her place and stepped back. “Continue.”

 

Everyone was focused on him now. “That feeling, it never vanished. So, after a while, I kept on following her every step. Watching her sleep, watching her walk, watching her work. And so on.” Honestly, she was a bit shocked that he was so obsessed with her, but more so that she never noticed him doing so.

 

Surprised, she clapped her hands in front of her mouth to suppress a gasp, but he was already confessing more. “She eventually went into the forest, so, of course, I followed her. As I already said, it was to protect her from any harm.”

 

Now the voltage was almost unbearable for him. How many times had he been electrocuted now? And each time the voltage doubled. Slowly but surely, it was becoming harder for him to recover properly in such a short amount of time.

 

Shaking where he stood, the tips of his hair were already crispy. A let out a few coughs as he leaned over the railing, holding himself up. “Alright, I get it. I was curious, so I followed her. I thought that the feeling I had was because she’d be my next soul to devour.”

 

Her eyes sprung open in surprise. Had he changed his ways by now? Probably. But, when did it happen? Maybe throughout the entire first few weeks they had known each other he had seen her as nothing else but his dinner?

 

That thought made her shiver and she tried to shake off the unsettling feeling. No, that can’t be.

 

“As I saw her there naked, I felt that wolves were nearby. So, I might have mistaken that she was not my food, but theirs.” He was already continuing. Once more, the high ruler herself spoke up. “Did you know those creatures were approaching? Judging by your power to attract canines?”

 

Again, so monotone and with no interest in the entire thing. “No.” His quick answer was followed by another electric shock. This time, he was sinking down to his knees, only the shackles on his wrists were holding him up. “I mean, yes. Yes!”

 

He gasped between gritted teeth. Another electrocution he probably wouldn’t be able to stand. “My powers attracted them to her, and they attacked her. But I jumped in and saved her.”

 

That wasn’t a lie, so he was spared the pain for now. He rose up slowly, trying to balance himself. “And then? Did the human girl comply without any restrains?” the devil next to Satan asked, protesting again.

 

For a few brief moments, the entire courtroom went silent, everyone looking at the male standing there in shackles, barely holding up by now. “She came with me, as a volunteer.” Lying one last time, and that was his death sentence.

 

Now the dosage reached its maximum as probably millions of volts rushed through his body, grilling him entirely. A loud ‘Fuck’ was yelled through the room, and the girl in the cage couldn’t take it any longer.

 

Breaking into tears, she yelled into the room. “Yes, I came with him because I wanted it! Please, spare him!” Everyone’s gaze shifted upwards to the girl, interrupting the session as the older demon was still being tortured with electricity through his veins.

 

“Silence her,” was the order from the highest-ranked creature in the room. None other than the Raven followed that order and put a magical anti-sound barrier around the cage. Of course, the girl was so displeased with that.

 

She began banging her fists against the barrier, trying to shatter it. Yelling, crying, raging in her cage, and all she could do was watch her partner probably being killed down there. Why did he have to lie so much? He knew what was coming to him.

 

Only the dog which was with her could calm her down now, poking his snout against her tummy and shoving her away from the edge of the barrier as much as it could. It was simply no use. Eventually, the girl just broke down, hugged the dog close and buried her teary face in its fur.

 

Satan rolled her eyes and commented: “I seriously have no time for such nonsense.” Clearly, she was pissed off about all of this. Her girlfriend started to comfort her, while further down the stairs the father confronted his son.

 

By now, they had stopped the torture, but the smaller demon reached his own limits. Sitting on the floor, totally out of breath, as his father grabbed his chin, making him look up with his last energy resources.

 

“Why are you doing this son?” No answer. “Why are you making this situation so difficult for yourself? You should know better. Not only you suffer.” He pointed at the girl who hung up there in the birdcage. “You also make her suffer.”

 

Well, that was a statement, but it was true. “I expected more from you. Better from you. You are part of our family, and all you bring is embarrassment.” Scolding him, he then shoved him away forcefully.

 

However, the younger demon could not protest; he simply did not have the energy for it. “You and I both know how this trial will end. Don’t you?” Snappy as ever. The small demon scoffed and gave his father a death glare.

 

“I know. Both, you and I have used our future sight ability to foresee the end of this.”

“Splendid. Now, finally, tell the truth and don’t keep us waiting any longer.”

“Fine.”

 

Gathering his last pieces of strength, the male rose himself up, holding tightly on the railing and speaking up loud and clearly. “Your honor. I promise to tell nothing but the truth.” He started again.

 

That, however, only rose suspicion in the higher-ups as all of them rose their eyebrows and looked at him with curious, wide eyes. “She came with me because I caused her a life-threatening situation. At that time, I was unaware that she was going to become my Astéri.”

 

“I invited her to my lair, and she accepted. Afterwards, I wanted to devour her soul for a quick lunch, then I felt that there was something more and I offered her a Desmós.” Shifting his face to make eye contact with every single person present in this room. Lastly, his bonded one.

 

Further explaining how they fucked and ending his speech on a high note: “… I asked her if she wanted to bond with me. She said ‘yes’ again. However, I am aware she only said so because she feared me.” Swallowing thickly and lowering his gaze.

 

“I am now aware of all the mistakes I’ve made and how much I have changed since then. So, I plead: Not guilty.” A whistle accompanied by a slow clap from above, quickly silenced by Satan herself.

 

“So, is that so?” Exchanging another long gaze with the accused one down there, she swung herself up and stepped forwards. “The judge decides...” Silence and tension all across the room, waiting for the final judgment: “… Not Guilty!”

 

Raising her arms as a round of relieved sighs came from everyone. The two powerful women, stepping down from their pedestal, while the taller one flipped her long silvery hair back. “What a waste of time.” The other one followed her like a lap dog.

 

“But, your majesty.” Protesting about her judgment, as she was already looking forward to the spectacle of the male demon’s execution. “Enough. Let the girl down and let’s get going. I hate this place.” That order was loud and clear.

 

Lowering the cage and opening the door, as well as the barrier, the little girl was set free, as was her partner from the shackles. Still a bit wonky on his feet, he was trying to regenerate himself.

 

A heartfelt reunion had to wait a few more moments. While the girl was scooting out, she caught another glimpse of the dark-skinned woman with the tall horns. Seeing Satan so close made her shiver and gasp for a moment.

 

That was a true beauty of a woman. But that face—it was so familiar to her. Where had she seen it before? Blinking a few times, the moments of admiration were over, and the girl fell into the arms of her mentor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a confession to make: I am falling out of the fandom.
> 
> Which results in the lack of motivation to continue this fanfiction.
> 
> However, I will not leave my readers hanging completely.
> 
> Though out the upcoming weeks I’ll upload summaries of the rest of the Arc’s, that you guys know how the story concludes.
> 
> It’s the least I can do tbh.
> 
> No hard feelings, I hope everyone understands.
> 
> Thank you for your attention and support of my writing.
> 
> Fanart can still be drawn of course and is highly appreciated.
> 
> Maybe we’ll read each other again in a future work of mine.


	24. Arc 5 Part 3 (Second Half - Summary)

**Second half of Arc 5 Part 3**

**Summary**

 

After the trial is done and both of the main characters have returned to the castle, the younger one asks her mentor why Satan looked just like her friend Hana, but with a different skin and hair color.

 

In response, he teaches her about the rumors of a possible third sister to God and Satan and that this creature is reborn as a human time and time again. He encourages her to find out the secrets surrounding that topic after her apprenticeship is done—in about six lunar circles, which correlates to one human year.

 

Afterwards however, he doubts himself as to whether he really wants her to succeed and finish her training, as he fears she will leave him once she is a fully fleshed out demon. In secret, he makes plans to sabotage her studying schedule, postponing some topics—especially her branch magic, the time manipulation—way further back in the plan, all in an attempt to make her stay with him.


	25. Arc 6 Part 1 (Summary)

**Arc 6 Part 1**

**Summary**

Once the trial Arc comes to a close, they return to earth to find the ‘Sea-Gem’ for the clock, which is still not properly working. It needs a cold charged object from earth to function, in comparison to the hot charged gemstone they already acquired.

In reality, they just search for a deep-sea pearl. It is late fall by now and the ocean is rather cold, but no sweat for two demons with magic. As she has already learned how to shapeshift, they both turn into mer-people and look underwater for the stone they are searching for.

Meanwhile, he also explains to her that she should be kind to nature, as nature will be kind in return to magical beings. She then reveals how much she has always loved the sea.

Without much effort, they manage to find the pearl and resurfaced quickly.

At the end of this adventure, they return to her apartment one last time; she finally grabs her shopping bags and says her final good-byes to the human world before definitively returning to the demon realm.


	26. Arc 6 Part 2 (Summary)

**Arc 6 Part 2**

**Summary**

 

Back home, he gets to work and manages to finish the project ‘Pocket-Watch’, and it works. That is a first time for a demon; to bring a non-magical object to another realm and still have it connected to its origin world. It now displays the time of her hometown, as well as the date.

 

Meanwhile, she is napping further down on the cushions. He wakes her to bring her the good news.

 

Afterwards, she seduces him, and they decide to celebrate their accomplishment with a little rough sex. Sex toys are used throughout the entirety of their intercourse.

 

**This scene/chapter is already halfway written and will be published as the next chapter.


	27. Arc 6 Part 2 (Smut Scene)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written before I even started writing the main story.
> 
> So please ignore any consistency errors.
> 
> Also this scene is not fully done.
> 
> It will cut off at some point, but was actually meant to go further.
> 
> Please do not be confused

**Arc 6 Part 2**

**Smut Scene**

 

The golden pocket watch in her hand displayed 8pm as it kept ticking. Her fingers wrapped tightly around the metal, her torso rising and sinking with the rhythm of the time. The stars sparkled over her, illuminating the small chamber from above the glass ceiling. No moon stood in the zenith for the time being.

 

Soft scuffles on the cushions on the floor as her hands moved a little. Her head turned slowly over to the other side as her jaw sank to part her lips letting a small sound escape. It was a peaceful scene unfolding.

 

One floor higher, just above the chamber, connected with a wooden staircase, he read over his studies one last time. Before turning off the light, he sorted out the sheets he held in his hands. Taking off his glasses, he placed them beside his work. He let out a soft sigh as he ran his hand through his light pink hair, flicking it back, though his hair found its way back on his forehead quickly.

 

Another sigh as he closed his eyes for a moment, leaning back to rest. The research was tedious, but he had done it for centuries now. He had yet to discover so many secrets, while simultaneously being a teacher for his demon child. Though, for now, his work was finished, and he’d pick it up again after taking a well-deserved break. Maybe he would use this time to have some fun with his little star, who was still sunken in a deep slumber underneath his workspace.

 

He rose from the chair, pushing off the table, as he decided to get up and walk down the stairs with easy and gentle steps, making his way through the library to the little chamber in the corner.

 

The floor was patterned with soft cushions, pillows, and blankets chaotically spread across the ground. In one of those blankets she was halfway tucked in, clinging to the golden item in her hands. In a way, he didn’t want to disturb her, but the opportunity was too teasing for him to resist.

 

“My star?” he whispered, carefully waking her up, bowing down and touching her shoulder with the tip of his fingers. At first, there was no reaction but then her eyes slowly opened. Her lips made another undefined sound as she awoke. “Huh?” She was visibly confused about the situation she found herself in, but already unconsciously happy to see his face in front of her.

 

Usually, demons didn’t need to sleep, only young ones were prone to do so from time to time. “Wake up,” he said, his voice as soft as the mat underneath him. By now he was kneeling and helping her to sit up, while she was rubbing her eyelids, still drowsy from the sleepiness enveloping her.

 

“I am awake,” she replied with a little croaky voice on her own. Her hair showed signs of being asleep for a while. He was already brushing it back in place. Shortly after, he lifted her off the ground by putting his arms under her legs and back.

 

“Where are we going?” she asked, opening her eyes wider. Her mouth hung open as she asked this surprising question. “Where do you want to go?” Replying to a question with another question. “I would say, to the living room.” It was her decision, and so it was about to be as they made their way to another part of the castle.

 

One of the many rooms suitable for a living room was located further up in the castle. An elegant door made from wood, engraved with the symbol of the demons, was the entrance for such a room. Opening the door with simple magic as the two of them stepped in, he placed her on a soft couch in the middle of the room.

 

Snapping his fingers, he lit up the candles, illuminating the room with a gentle glow, setting the mood. Shortly after, the door fell shut quietly. Nervously, she moved her hips a little on the couch as she sat up, rearranging herself and her garment to cover up a little.

 

Besides a pair of panties and a short-hemmed robe, she wasn’t wearing anything, and the room was still cold, making her shiver a little. It didn’t take long before he came close, admiring her figure sitting on the couch. Kneeling in front of her, he moved his hands over her knees and down her legs adoringly.

 

Her skin was smooth beneath the tips of his fingers as he moved upwards again with his hands, slowly parting her legs a little. Eventually getting a grip on her thighs, he squeezed them gently. A small gasp escaped her lips as she closed her eyes and pulled her eyebrows up.

 

Wiggling nervously with her hips, she tried to get into place. Meanwhile, he was brushing aside the fabric, which he had lined over her legs before, exposing some more of her skin. A cold shiver ran through her, partly because of the breeze in the room and partly caused by the surprise.

 

Slowly but surely, his lips found their way to the inside of her legs. Pecking teasingly at first, then sucking on the skin lovingly, already leaving small red marks on the upper layer of her skin. Her lips parted again, and her claws tensed up, trying to find some cushions to hold onto. Rather they were scraping over the soft material.

 

Soft and pleasant moans of hers started to fill the room as he continued loving her so deeply. His lips kissed up towards all the sensitive spots of the space between her legs. To round it all off, he began sucking gently and leaving small marks. He became a bit rougher as he decided to play around and let his sharp fangs sink into her skin.

 

Small dots where blood dripped out were left all over her upper legs, giving her pleasant pain. From all this stimulation, it was already hard for her to contain herself. Her body shivered and her legs flinched from time to time.

 

Shortly after, he took another bite, licking over the freshly caused wound, adding more to the sensation and sealing the wound with his saliva shortly afterwards. Her cheeks were glowing bright red, and a little bit of her own saliva dropped off the corners of her mouth. Tiny noises echoed through the room, indicating that she enjoyed what he did to her.

 

By now her legs had wrapped around his shoulders, but he wanted to ask for more. Quickly getting up, lifting her feet up in the air with him, he brushed his finger over the drool on her lips, looking deeply into her eyes and kissing her lips gently.

 

“You already taste so good, let me taste more of you,” he said, with a sneaky grin on his lips. His fangs reflected a bit of the light in the room. The kiss was only short-lived before he dived down again, his hands following over her curves, resting on her hips for a moment and then splitting open the robe she was wearing, exposing her still covered crotch.

 

The panties had to be gone, he decided, and quickly slipped his sharp claw on the side of it. With a snapping sound, the fabric ripped open and almost sprung off her, displaying her most private parts in front of his very eyes.

 

To her surprise, she let out another quiet scream of joy. Knowing exactly what would follow. Not hesitating any longer, he bent forwards, holding her legs in place with his hands, giving them a sweet rub with his thumb and getting to work.

Sticking out his pierced tongue, he went over the full length of the more sensitive lips between her legs. A rush of lust and electricity went through her body like a shockwave. She began to groan out loud and fiddled with her hands to find them in placed on the top of his head. She started to play with the strands of his hair joyfully as she wanted to experience more of this feeling of ecstasy.

 

Lucky for her he was more than willing to provide it to her. After a few more strokes with his tongue over her pleasure spots, he started sucking again, this time on her clitoris. The sensitive ends of the nerves immediately reacting, causing her own claws to spring out and dig into the back of his neck.

 

By now her own wetness mixed with the saliva of his, while he was joyfully licking off her juices, confirming for himself how tasty she really was.


	28. Arc 6 Part 3 (Summary)

**Arc 6 Part 3**

**Summary**

 

A few days pass, and he wants to teach her another thing: Cleansing lessons.

 

**This scene/chapter is already halfway written and will be published as the next chapter.

 

At the end of their cleansing ritual, she asks him if he’d want to marry her, as she is already wearing a ring on her finger which he had made especially for her. This question resolves his doubts and fears about her leaving after she completed her lessons.

 

However, he must explain that demon weddings work differently from what she knows from earth. Demons have to go through different, very painful, trials to prove their worth and loyalty for each other. Only then they are allowed to strengthen their bond in this way.

 

To end on a lighter note and make her happy, he plans out the ending ceremony in his head. Remembering how much she loves water, he thinks about a spring-like place with a lot of lights.


	29. Arc 6 Part 3 (Cleansing Lessons)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written before I even started writing the main story.
> 
> So please ignore any consistency errors.

**Arc 6 Part 3**

**Cleansing Lessons**

 

Knock knock.

She heard a gentle knock on the door as her eyes sprung open. She had been laying on her bed, just dozing. She has been on her own for a while. Finally, she rolled to the side as the door opened gently.

 

It was him. His white hair peeked through the door, shortly afterwards followed by his kind smile. “Wake up, my Star.” His voice softly echoed through the dim room. One of the moons was shining in faintly. “I am awake...” Her voice was quiet as she answered him, slowly moving on the sheets as she sat up.

 

As he was about to close the door behind him, he gave her a nod and replied once more with a smooth tone to his voice: “Good.” As he was able to inch closer to the bed, he took in the sight of her body which was still at rest.

 

Raising his hand, it brushed over the soft white skin on her cheeks. Like a cat, reacting immediately, she leaned into his touch. A purring sound could be heard in the otherwise quiet room. Her pale skin turned a sweet shade of rose, as the blood rushed to her cheeks due to his actions of affection.

 

Speaking once more with a delicate voice, he addressed the issue of why he was looking for her in the first place. “I have planned a little ceremony as part of your studying. You have to go through it for educational reasons.” She smiled, knowing now that it wasn’t anything serious but something she had to learn as a demon. So far, he hadn’t taught her how to hold ceremonies, so that would be her first.

 

Without a word, she nodded to show that she understood. Moving her feet first, she climbed out of bed slowly. “I’m ready.” He shook his head, indicating that she wasn’t yet. “But why?” Her voice caused a small uproar as her body stopped moving, tensing a little.

 

“This ceremony needs spiritual cleansing first—of body and soul,” he explained to her in a calm voice. Probably, she wasn’t fully understanding what he meant, but she was more than sure that he’d explain. Putting one hand on her shoulder, he chuckled, giving her some sense of security and making her follow him out of the room.

 

Unusually, they weren’t heading to the grand bathing chamber they would spend their time in normally. Rather, he guided her to another chamber which was generally used for ceremonies. It was kind of odd, finding a chamber in this castle just to cleanse your body. On the other hand, it wasn’t probably as strange as one might think. This building was so huge, with so many rooms and so much space to use. Surely, he had to make use of it somehow.

 

A rather tiny wooden door with a rounded door frame could be seen by both of them. He turned the key in the old looking keyhole, but not without using magic on it first. The door opened with only a quiet creaking sound.

 

As they stepped into the room, she could see that it was rather a small chamber with an elegant looking bathing tub in the middle. It was a small area, all in all, and the floor was tiled with smoothed black rocks. It felt cold under her bare feet.

 

It didn’t take long before they found themselves in the room, door closed and he standing behind her, already undoing the strings of her dress so that she could slip out of it more easily. As the fabric around her loosened, she let it glide to the floor and stepped out of the little pile of clothes.

 

Turning around, covering her chest with her arms, she looked up to him with big, expectant eyes. By now she should have been used to this process, but each time she seemed impressed and a bit confused still. It was adorable. His lips curled up into a warm smile as he looked over her tiny body for a bit.

 

She must feel cold, he thought to himself as his hands were already wandering over the frame of her body tenderly. “We should begin,” he said, starting off the ceremony. With a snap of his fingers, the tub started to fill with warm, clear water. Surely it wasn’t ordinary water, it looked more like it was made of molten crystals.

 

Encouraging her to step forward, he guided her a little before she stood in front of the filling tank. He invited her to go in first, though she still seemed so insecure, but eventually made the step. One after another. At first the water felt so unusual to her, it caused her another shiver before she dived in deep.

 

The water covered her whole body as she cowered low in the tub, small waves circling around her shoulders. Little bubbles on the surface around her popped into sparkling particles floating in the air. This was indeed magic water surrounding her. The sparkles illuminated the room on their own and a beautiful fluorescent light show could be witnessed by the two of them.

 

He already looked satisfied, while she was captured by the magic unfolding around her. Her distraction was short-lived, however, because as soon as she noticed that he was about to move away, reaching for some items to continue, she grabbed his wrist, just like a reflex. “No, stay. Where are you going?”

 

A voice of reassurance as he moved his free hand over her head to caress her. “Just gathering some essentials. Don’t worry about it. I will be back in the blink of an eye.” He gave her a small yet meaningful kiss on her forehead as he brushed off some soaked strands of hair.

 

After a few moments of silence, she released his hand, showing him that he could go. And so, he did. Indeed, he was back shortly after. He brought a few things which looked like ordinary cleaning materials. Her head peeked up again, slowly watching what he was doing.

 

“That’s just…” He nodded, knowing she wanted to say just some kind of shampoo like humans use, but it was a bit different. This paraphernalia was more than just that. It had added magical parts to it which would prepare the body for a ceremony. Truly cleaning off all the dirt which needed to be cleansed.

 

Her eyes still rested on him as he placed the things on a little stand next to the tub, one by one. “Come in,” she said, raising her voice, almost commanding, as she clung onto the porcelain with her claws. A small amused sigh left his lips before he snickered in a loving manner. “Sure, if you invite me to it.”

 

Exceptionally, it was allowed for him to bathe in the water used for cleansing. After all, he was an experienced demon and he knew his stuff and what to do. Their blood, by definition, was dirty as demons, but this was special. As they shared a contract, he could enter her presence without it showing any negative effects. By any means it would only benefit the desired result and create a stronger magical source to use later.

 

Stripping off his clothes and tossing them in the same place her dress was located, he quickly joined her. The water wavered around them gently. It didn’t take long before she found herself in his embrace. Pulling her close into his body, he said, “Your smell is so delightful; it always captures me time and time again.” He buried his face into the short hair at the back of her head just a moment later.

 

“Th-thank you.” The blood in her body was rushing through her cheeks again to such a sweet compliment of his. She wanted to compliment him in return, but her mind went blank for the moment. Already feeling how he was placing several kisses on her neck, making his way down her skin and kissing the spots where her true name was located adoringly.

 

“I love you so much,” he murmured as his voice echoed through the room. “I love you, too.” That much she could say, almost jumping as her heart did at this moment. Now a smile spread onto her face too. This was just so familiar, so warm, so perfect.

 

Her gaze turned back to the sparkling drops of water, still rising towards the ceiling in a wavering flow. Just as much, it displeased him to have to interrupt the tender moment to continue the cleansing. He reached out for the items he placed close to them earlier, making sure she was holding still as he did.

 

He poured some of the essence from the bottle he carried onto his hand. It looked so very normal, was it truly any different? It surely was, he ensured her, before moving his hands onto her skin again. It felt cold and brilliant as the substances touched her skin, and she shuddered for a moment.

 

A small gasp escaped her lips and her eyes fell shut. “Shh, it’s fine. Just a moment.” And indeed it took only a moment before the paste became warm and felt like a second layer on her skin. Now it was time to rub some more of it in.

 

His hands started moving, first making their way down her arms. Letting her lean back, he guided his hand over her skin softly, holding her wrist for a moment, before entangling his fingers with hers. From the corner of her eyes, she could see him smile. He had so much fun doing it, and she felt that.

 

The claws he usually possessed had shape-shifted away for now to ensure total comfort for her. Stopping at the ring on her left hand for a moment, the tip of his fingers brushed over it. The blood rose under his fingers, memorizing every small engraving in the metal ring he had crafted for her in the first ceremony they’d held together.

 

For a moment, his teeth scraped over the exposed skin on her shoulder, touching a tiny space which wasn’t touched by the magical cream yet. But he had to hold himself back. That indeed was a restriction of this cleansing. He wasn’t allowed to break through her skin to suck her blood … for now.

 

As he restricted himself, another small shiver went through her body. He had to continue, massaging in the cream on other spots of her body. Therefore, his hands returned to her back, and he took a moment to rub over the roots of her wings which, for this occasion, she had hidden. Despite them not being visible right now, he could still feel and see exactly where they were.

 

This moment, however, was only short-lived, since he decided to have at least some fun on his own agenda, somehow within the rules of all of this. He also had to cover her chest, and this is where he found his fingers next. Making sure she would get some pleasure out of this too.

 

Smirking to himself like the little witty demon he was, he dug his fingers into her flesh carefully. It was such a sensitive spot for her, and he had her right at his fingertips. “Moan for me, my Star,” he whispered sensually into her ear. After all, they were demons, and even during a cleansing ceremony some sin was allowed.

 

The tip of his fingers could now be found on her nipples as he moved them in circling motions hidden beneath the surface of the water. Following his command from earlier, she started moaning softly at first, then her voice echoed through the room louder. Moaning out his name with such a melodic sensation: “S-Saeran ...” Her eyes fell shut and her body was getting lost in the pleasure he provided to her.

 

She allowed her tail to form just to wrap it around his leg, which was positioned right next to her. Her head snapped back and found a place to rest on his shoulder. Her eyebrows tensed up a little and she inhaled sharply since his motions were getting a bit rougher, but nothing she wouldn’t enjoy.

 

By now, he was digging his hands into her soft flesh, massaging it gently. Her body began to shiver as she desperately tried to find something to hold onto. Her arms searched for a grip and quickly gained that very thing as her hands found a hold in the hair on the back of his head. Of course, it wouldn’t hurt him since she would never pull too roughly. Rather, she let her fingers glide through the strands of his hair wildly.

 

Soon, her moans were assisted by those of his. Quiet yet sensual. Their voices sounded like one as they declared their love to each other: “I love you so much. Please stay with me forever.” The promise they once made resonated within the two of them once more. “I promise.” Sealing this very word with a soft peck on her lips by him.

 

But they had to continue the ceremony before they became any more lost in their sinning. As much as it pained them both, there were more important tasks to get to. Slowly he was moving his hands away from her chest. Her body tensed up in that very moment as her eyes sprung open. “N-no, please. Don’t stop.” Her voice sounded begging, both of them knowing they wanted more.

 

He spoke in a soft voice, answering her begging: “I know, I don’t want to stop either, but we shouldn’t lose focus of what this is all about.” Taking a moment to pause, he nodded and placed one more sweet kiss on her lips and the top of her ears. “Besides, we can always continue some other time, I am not going anywhere, and we have eternity to share with each other.” A soft smile adorned his face as he explained to her slowly.

 

Eventually she agreed with what he said; after all, he was right about that; and she gave her approval with a silent nod. To continue the ceremony, he revealed his tail, wrapping it around her waist and holding her in place. Her legs twitched back a little as she bent her back forwards.

 

His hands were now gliding over her back slowly, making their way around her wings. A mixture of soft, tender, and rough motions, all harmonizing into a relaxing massage. It felt so good that she wanted to spread her wings, but that would be counterproductive in such a small space. Instead, she enjoyed what was provided to her with a purring response of her voice.

 

Certainly, he seemed happy with the things he did as well; shortly after he finished on her back, he had to move on to her lower regions. Just to be cautious, he decided to ask her if she’d be ready and willing for that. For her, it wasn’t the first time he had touched her like this, so she gave her consent without hesitation.

 

Moving on to the area between her legs, he let his slender fingers slide over the middle of her private parts. For a moment, she could feel the rush of ecstasy through her whole body. Not being able to suppress the urge she let out a gasp as her hands clenched into fists.

 

With the use of breathing deeply, she tried to keep control over her body, which was hard for her to maintain under such conditions. His hands kept on sweeping around the lower areas of her body so very easily. He was skilled, no doubt.

 

The time definitely passed slower for her than it would in reality, so the moments he was busy with her like this felt like a little eternity in which she had to keep control over herself. But soon enough he was done with that part and she could let out a relieved sigh.

 

He looked like he was a little disappointed that he couldn’t give her enjoyment through this part of the process. He sighed to himself deeply. “I’ll make this up to you, my Star,” he said, apologizing with a deep voice to her. She only gave him a non-verbal signal of understanding.

 

Once more he had to move on to another part of her body, probably causing her some more discomfort if she had to use self-control once more. “Are you alright?” Concerned for her, he bent forward and placed his head on her shoulder, giving her a worrisome look. “Yes. Please continue,” she replied, almost ordering him to do so as her voice seemed stiff stiff. By now she wanted to get over with it.

 

Following her leadership, he moved his hands onto her thighs. It was stunning that a small amount of the essence would be enough to cover her entire body, but those are the perks of magic after all.

 

His worries about her were still clearly written in his face, as he already tried to make things up to her, within the things which were still possible to do. His hands found themselves on her thighs, giving them a gentle squeeze and circling rubbing emotions towards the inside of them.

 

Her body reacted to the stimuli, immediately flinching back and wiggling left and right. “Why?” Her lips were pressed tightly against each other as she herself had to squeeze out this word, clearly showing discomfort. “I thought I could give you at least one more sensation. Don’t you like it?”

 

Surprisingly for her, she didn’t have to hold back this time, so her eyes sprung open and her eyebrows rose a little. “Oh? May I?” Humming a little confirmation for her, he intensified his motions once more. His claws in her flesh were still strictly forbidden but he could give her at least something more, by his thumb rubbing over the flesh of her upper legs with more forceful movements.

 

No longer she could withstand it and her voice was soon moaning his name. It was a hypnotic melody to his ears as he closed his eyes to enjoy the pleasure he gave her, himself as well.

 

It only lasted a few moments before her legs were covered as well. Her ankles and feet were hard to reach but were done in the matter of a second. Now her full body was covered and the cleansing magic would take its turn to work.

 

It was not an unpleasant feeling; it was just warming her body a bit. The dirt could be felt vanishing. It was also cleansing her soul within the boundaries of a demonic ceremony. In a way, demons are purebloods too.

 

Still keeping his tail wrapped around her middle, he pulled her in close once more. “How are you feeling?” he whispered next to her ear as he laid his arms around her torso, holding her close and tenderly. His head peeked forth, resting on her shoulders, and she couldn’t refrain from caressing his soft white hair with her hand.

 

“Good,” she purred, showing direct comfort by rubbing her cheek on his and closing her eyes for a few moments. On the other side, he was glad to hear her say so. “Then we shall proceed. There is another important step to take,” he continued, as he slowly moved away for a moment. Immediately feeling the discomfort of his missing warmth next to her, her body was sent into a state of awareness.

 

Just as she wanted to ask him to wait, he was already back by her side, his left hand carrying a luminescent brush. It was transparent like glass and reminded her of the lotion he’d put onto her skin just now. Aware he would probably brush out her hair now, she sat right in position.

 

Her hair being so short, it wouldn’t take long. Already he was starting to brush the very tips of her white locks. Some single hairs fell out but immediately dissolved into thin air. Those must be the dirty parts this special brush got rid of.

 

Not moving at all, her view directed in front of her, staring in the distance which, in this case, was just a dark stone wall. Soon the brush reached the roots and fringe of her hair, brushing it backwards, where her turquoise stands mixed with the rest.

 

He’d sometimes brushed through her hair with his hand but never with a brush before. In a way, this was an intimate moment for both of them. As expected, it didn’t take long before he was done and putting the item aside.

 

Without realizing it, he made her snap out of the trance she had fallen into: “We’re done.” Blinking a few times and fading back into consciousness, she turned her head. “Oh?” A little surprised gasp left her lips, wanting to spend more time in the tub, but she understood that they had to move on with the ceremony.

 

“Wait a moment. I will be right back,” he instructed her, while he was already getting up to grab some towels for himself and her. The water sank a little as his body left the tank. Her tail was now freely wiggling in the water as she noticed it was getting colder just the moment he left.

 

Hurry up please, she thought to herself as she sat in the water-filled container, now alone, already missing his warmth and body pressed so tightly on hers. The longing and disappointment could be read without a problem on her face, looking like a sad kitten waiting to be picked up again.

 

Shortly after, he came back to her, towels layered over one arm, the other one holding a typical demon robe like she had worn many before. Putting the clothes aside for a moment, he approached her while unfolding one of the towels. Quickly, she gathered herself and stood up, leaving the water too.

 

It didn’t take long before she found herself in the soft embrace of the towel which had been prepared for her. So soft, as she rubbed her cheek into the slightly pink fibers of the cloth. It was even preheated, making the coldness surrounding her disappear within just a few blinks of an eye.

 

A soft smile could be seen between her cuddles with the fabric. Meanwhile, as she was drying herself a little more, he provided her with a little favor of drying her hair carefully and putting it back in place.

 

Only one thing was left now; she needed to dress once more since he had already gathered his clothes and was fully prepared for the intended ceremony they had to face. The demonic robes, he told her one time, were commonly used in ceremonies. Their fabric was thin but easily replaceable and therefore perfect for educational purposes. He could get his hands on them in just a few seconds without even having to pay much at all. That was fascinating.

 

Finishing up the entire process, he picked up the clothes for her and let her slip into them; adjusting them until she felt comfortable, he looked her up and down. For a moment he knelt in front of her, supporting himself on his one knee, before taking a brief look from the bottom up.

 

“My Star...” his eyes fixated on her face—her mint green eyes to be precise, which sparkled more than a thousand stars in the sky. The smile of hers still present, he slowly got up, closing some of the loose ends of the robe and towering over her once more.

 

Her head rose with his movement and she got onto her tiptoes to place a gentle kiss on his lips, positioning her hands on his cheeks to hold his face and gently slide over his cheekbones with her thumb. “I love you so much.” Confirming her love for him once more before she went in for a romantic kiss.

 

Their lips pressed onto each other with such sweetness as their tongues met in the middle, playing with each other lovingly, enjoying the moment of tender care and love between them. Once more, her tail found its way around his legs, as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him. This was perfect, just a moment of dreams between the two of them.

 

As his hands wandered over her back, down her bottom, and eventually in the right position to pick her up and carry her out princess style, he gave his final words before leaving the room with her: “Let’s go, we still have the rest of the ceremony to hold.”


	30. Arc 7 Part 1 (Summary)

**Arc 7 Part 1**

**Summary**

 

As the marriage is drawing closer, her self-doubts rise again: Feeling insecure, too childlike, not ready to marry. Unconsciously, as she stares herself down in the mirror, she alters her own time and appearance with it, appearing more adult-like.

 

**References Images are posted on my [Art Blog](mizumi-kahago-art.tumblr.com)

 

Shortly after her change, he enters the room and finds her like this. In regard he immediately says that it doesn’t matter to him how she looks; she should do whatever she is most comfortable with.

 

Afterwards, they go into detail again about what a real demon marriage envelops all in all: They have to bathe in the feathers of an angel, forge a Ring out of each other’s blood, and make clothes out of each other’s feathers.

 

For the first one of these tasks, they have the idea of capturing the angel ‘Charity’, as they already have a close relation to that one. And he has his own revenge agenda especially.


	31. Arc 7 Part 2 (Summary)

**Arc 7 Part 2**

**Summary**

 

As they manage lure ‘Charity’ in and capture him, they lock him away in the dungeon cells. The angel immediately notices the change in the demon’s girl appearance and sees it as something bad, that she only changed for her signification other.

 

They then decide to have a heart to heart and the girl, now with a much more arrogant attitude, sends her demon partner away to talk all alone with the angel, not even being scared of him anymore.

 

Asking him multiple questions, he talks himself in a rant and reveals that he isn’t actually one of the Seven Heavenly Virtues anymore. He lost his position due to an affair with a demon named ‘Lust’. Therefore, he is considered a fallen angel.

 

His motives were, and still are, to regain his position in Heaven, and he’d do anything to achieve that. As the demon girl decides she has heard enough, she leaves him in the cell to rot, meeting with her partner for clarification.

 

As part of a lesson, the demon mentor explains the Seven Heavenly Virtues to her, as they are the same as the Seven Deadly Sins for demons.


	32. Arc 7 Part 3 (Summary)

**Arc 7 Part 3**

**Summary**

 

As the ceremonies start now, they still decide to use the fallen’s feathers to bathe in them. They are still equally painful for the two of them. After feathering ‘Charity’ they let him run – he is never to be seen again.

 

The second ceremony is the ring forging. He, as a skilled demon, finishes it with ease; for her it’s a little bit harder and she almost faints due to the blood loss. But they manage to also fulfill this trial of strength.

 

Lastly, is the defeathering. She already had experienced and endured it as much as possible. It wasn’t easy either, but manageable. It pains her more to hurt him and rip out his feathers.

 

In the end, they both have a huge pile, which they make the suit and her dress out of. Being magical clothing, it always fits the user, no matter their appearance.


	33. Arc 7 Part 4 (Summary)

**Arc 7 Part 4**

**Summary**

 

The time of the ceremony finally arrives. He is already waiting at an altar, which is actually a spring, where free-flowing water comes out, covering the floor while streaming over different cascades. The entire scene takes place on a floating island in an isolated room.

 

His father brings in the bride, who appears in her original form, as she was when got to know her. Immediately upon seeing her he smiles, and she runs up to him. They forge their bond for life.

 

As a marriage gift, his father gives her a pet dragon which can change in size, to either fit in the palm of a hand or grow into a 20-foot-tall monster.

 

At the very end, Luciel appears to the party and he sincerely apologizes to his brother. The two make up in the background, but it will take a long time of adjusting for them both.

 

Further in the future, everyone has their happily ever after.

 

And the story ends with both realizing that they never asked for each other’s names, despite all this time they spent together.

 

He reveals that his name is ‘Saeran’, while her name is never mentioned and simply ends in: “…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah that's it.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the fanfic, regardless of the difficulties.
> 
> Maybe we'll see each other again in my next writing project (if there will be one)
> 
> Thanks everyone for making it to this point.  
> I'm really grateful for every Reader.
> 
> See ya then ~


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